


Swish of a Fin

by VincentMeoblinn



Series: Merlock [2]
Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Anal, Anatomy, Angst, Animal Death, Anthropomorphic, Disasters, Environmentalism, Fluff, M/M, Masturbation, Merlock, Mpreg, Mutual Masturbation, Oral, Pining, courting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:14:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2655026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VincentMeoblinn/pseuds/VincentMeoblinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How did Jawn and Sh'lck from "Drenched" meet and fall in love? What was Jawn like as a merman? This story follows Jawn and Sh'lck from childhood to adulthood to parenthood. A fluffy love story with a few waves along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As in some other languages, the ! in this is a clicking sound. Therefore Mycroft’s name is pronounced My(click)roph. The ‘t’ is silent for this fic. Go ahead. Say it out loud. It amuses me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mermen and women are intersex, only their external differences denote them as male or female. Males are more solid and have smaller/nonexistent breasts. Females are slim and fast and have breasts.

 

 

[ ](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/157850.html)

  
  
Sh’lck was shy. It was a terrible tendency, especially for someone with a purple tail as his blush tended to offset his tail until he looked even _more_ embarrassed than he was. To cover this obscene fact he pretended indifference until the blush vanished. He got rather good at it, especially with his older brother My!roff’s help. My!roff was well on his way to being their duke, second only to the Queen herself. It was quite impressive for a nineteen year old and Sherlock was in awe of him… not that he’d ever let him know that.

Besides, Sh’lck had more pressing concerns. He’d just turned fourteen and something in his body had awakened. What it had awakened to was a certain tail-coloured-the-inside-of-a-conch-shell (he’d compared it) fellow named Jawn. Jawn was the sort of merman all the other merfolk fawned over. He was excellent at sports, especially [ullamaliztli](http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-ball-game.html), which thrilled his parents and other adults. He was decent at his studies, having mastered the art of defense long before he’d drawn Sh’lck’s eye. He was handsome in a rugged way up top and pretty in a feminine way down below, mainly because his afore mentioned beautifully coloured tail had a slight pink tint to it and long, delicate fins; like the blush along the clouds before the sun decided it was ready to set. It made everyone swoon, so Sh’lck felt he was justified in having to hurriedly cover his mating slit up with whatever was handy whenever Jawn swam by.

Jawn, unfortunately, had yet to notice Sh’lck, though it was not for lack of trying. Sh’lck had tried to show off his superior dexterity and dove in to smack the ulli into one of the stone hoops set in the ‘I’ shaped playing centre. He scored, but Jawn and the other players only hissed him off for interfering in their practice.

When shows of fitness failed Sh’lck attempted to show his superiority in classes by offering to tutor Jawn in the hunting and gathering class that he was nearly failing. Jawn laughed in his face at the idea he’d _ever_ have to hunt or gather, and one of his flunkies promptly shoved Sh’lck through the ullamaliztli ring where he was stuck until the coach brought some fish oil and freed him. He stunk for the rest of the day and had to put up with quite a large amount of unoriginal jeers and unappreciative glares.

Finally Sh’lck realized he would have to do a great deal more than show off his talents- of which there were many- to win Jawn over. So he sat himself down one morning and clipped the finest clams he could find to his tail. He borrowed his mother’s jewelry and decorated his thin, pale chest as beautifully as anyone would admire. He snuck some puffer fish venom and applied it to his already full lips to make them even more pronounced. He teased the knots from his hair with some spines and buffed his scales till they shone with a bit of coral. He teased his nipples to erect buds and pinched them until they stayed that way. Then he hurried to where he knew Jawn and his flunkies always hung out before school.

It was a disaster. The puffer fish venom had made it nearly impossible to speak, his eyes were red from the pain of the clams on his tail, the jewelry kept floating up in his face- becoming tangled in his hair- because it was too long for his frame, and one of the mermaids hanging about Jawn pointed to his nipples and simply burst out laughing. Sh’lck swam home so quickly he knocked several clams clean off, leaving gashes in his tail. His mother found him weeping in his cubby, curled up to fit as if he were an infant once again. She coaxed him out and gently cleaned him up, pressing kisses to his forehead.

“Someday, my little merboy, you’ll be a merman. When you are you’ll look back on this and laugh.”

“There’s nothing funny about this,” Sh’lck replied angrily, “Except to the other children.”

Sh’lck spent the rest of the day sulking and even avoided his mother’s embrace. It was as he was moping down by the reefs that he caught sight of a large hermit crab. As he watched it move along the ocean floor another crab came close as well. The first pulled into his shell and virtually vanished while the second made a valiant effort to pry it from its coveted home only to be thwarted by rather surprising violence. The second crab left in defeat and Sherlock picked the first up curiously, staring at his exposed claws. He reached down to tap at one and it made an effort to shoo him away. Sh’lck smiled. He knew how he would deal with his failed attraction from now on. He swam home with the hermit crab in his hand and kept it as a pet, providing it with larger and larger shells, until it died. Once it had he created a work of art on driftwood out of all the discarded shells. The end result, though it had not been his intention as he’d merely been letting the shells guide him, was a rather intense three-dimensional skull. He named it Victor and placed it in a prominent position in his very first cave.

Then he opened his first practice, hanging a plaque over his door with the symbol for doctor. From now on people would come to _him_ , and when they did they would be respectful. He’d earned it over the years of study. He might never achieve his brother’s position at court- nor did he envy it- but within a year he was someone that every pod for miles knew was a capable and dependable merman. The only thing better known than his skill at medicine was the sharpness of his tongue, which most said rivaled that of the teeth of an orca. Foolish was the person who offended Dr. Sh’lck, because he was unforgiving in his verbal dressing down. He could find fault with the purest of innocent children and saw no need to hold back. Yet his knowledge of the ocean, the seabeds, the reefs, the medicine to be gathered, and the anatomy of other merfolk were unrivaled. They needed him, and they knew it: especially after The Spill.   


[CHAPTER 2](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/158455.html)


	2. Chapter 2

 

Jawn was lonely. When he went home his parents ignored him and his older sister Haary beat him up. She was a hunter/gatherer and he was a defender, so it wasn’t too shocking that she was so much more aggressive than he. Give him a cave and he’d happily keep predators away, as he’d been told he would as an adult, but with nothing to protect but himself he was sinking deeper and deeper into depression. So when he started school and found out there were loads of other boys _just_ _like him_ he was thrilled. His parents were both female, thin and fast, so he’d ended up the only defender in a family of hunters.

Jawn did everything he could to fit in. He played sports, mimicked the older kids and chatted up both genders until he had a swarm of hunter/gatherer friends. He was soon aware that the real differences between their genders didn’t show up until later, and that it was unusual for a child to be classified so young. As he got older the unfairness of his station in his home became more and more obvious. He began to fight back at home, acting out to get his mothers’ attention and getting in violent rows with his sister until his family was thoroughly sick of him. Finally he was finned out of home and sent to live with his aunt who was a defender despite being female. His mothers hoped that it would give him the outlet he needed, but he only felt more judged.

“Why does everyone else get to decide who and what I am? Why can’t I just be me?”

“You _can_ Jawn,” Aunt Maar soothed, “Do you think I knew I was a defender at your age? Everyone assumed I’d be a hunter/gatherer! And I was damn good at that, too. Eventually I realized I had to be me and forget everyone else. You do that too, and whoever you end up being someday we’ll all love you.”

“Mom and ma won’t,” Jawn argued miserably, “They expect me to be a defender.”

“That’s because you’ve always acted like one, but that doesn’t mean you _have_ to be. In a few years you’ll be given lessons in each. You can decide then. Why focus on it now when you’re too small to join the hunts, too young to gather, and still one of the children the defenders protect?”

Jawn slowly settled in. He continued to gain in popularity and once he reached adolescence his status as defender became obvious. The difference between now and his childhood was that the teachers who explained who and what a defender was didn’t treat it as a last resort for slow-swimming, over-muscled, useless men; they listed the value and importance of protecting the caves, children, and stores of food. Jawn fell head over tails in love with his teacher, who wasn’t aware of it and unconsciously fed his crush. When others approached him interested in a relationship he tended to push them away in order to continue chasing after his teacher.

Eventually his teacher noticed and spent some time explaining to him why it wasn’t a possibility, starting with that he was already mated to another. Jawn swam away crushed and angry once again. He decided his problem wasn’t with himself and his own identity, but with the very idea of mating. He dropped it hard and focused on sports and schoolwork to an obsessive level. He was just starting to excel in his hunting and gathering classes despite not having an interest in it when an admittedly gorgeous young man offered to help him. Bitter and tired of being underestimated, he laughed in the boys face and the pretty thing fled without giving him a name. He eventually recalled he was the lad who had scored a rather impressive goal on the field the day before when he’d barged in on their practice. At the time he’d been furious with the lad for destroying the play they’d worked so hard at, but now he recalled the skill and went to seek him out. However, when he approached him he stank of fish and fled from him once again.

Jawn didn’t see the attractive young man for several weeks and when he did he approached him at the same moment as another rather obsessive female fan of his. She was just starting to turn on the charm when the pretty young man swam up in a rather garish display of jewelry and clam decals. He _did_ look ridiculous, but Jawn had been willing to overlook that and talk to him if only because he seemed so much more intelligent than the rest of his fawning admirers. Sadly, the girl who had been flirting with him burst out laughing _very_ loudly while pointing at him and the rest of his friends joined in. The lad swam off before he could say anything to him. Jawn promptly told off the young woman and refused to speak to her again. She was ostracized as a result, but John was blissfully unaware of the power he had. He did, however, continue to show a latent interest in the pretty young man though he didn’t speak to him again. The result was that the pretty boy was left alone when he might have otherwise been teased or flirted with by various merfolk. He was under Jawn’s protection and neither lad was aware.

John continued to be lonely despite being surrounded by merfolk while Sherlock pushed away the world while being left alone. Then came The Spill.  
  


[CHAPTER 3](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/181737.html)


	3. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 3

 

** WARNINGS: Some squick. ** ** **

** A/N On Biology: ** ** **

_ All merpeople in this fic are fertile hermaphrodites or intersex. They have a mating slit in the front that contains a mobile phallus and their testicles and a hole in the back that is similar to a birds cloaca in that it is used for both waste and mating. The mating slit contains access to their testicles and can sometimes be used during sex for stimulation; it can be thrust into without risk of pregnancy.  _ _ _

_ The difference between ‘male’ and ‘female’ are really just differences in body type. Females are slim and fast, while males are muscular and large; as such, in a world where speed and precision are more likely to result in survival while hunting, the females are usually the providers while the males are domestic and remain home to protect their young. Both male and female can lactate, carry a child, or sire a child; sexual position is based off of preference or mating desire; generally those who defend are the ones who carry the child as they would be able to remain home and guarded throughout pregnancy.  _ _ _

 

__

My!roph smiled softly for a moment before smothering it. His brother disdained emotion now and he’d learned to be cold around him or be dismissed from his presence. Where his beautiful, happy little brother had gone he had no idea, but it was play by his rules or be scorned so My!roph played and played well.

“Brother,” He stated with enough frost to create an iceberg.

“Brother,” Sh’lck replied with enough bite to sink a ship, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see how your work is progressing.”

“Poorly,” Sh’lck frowned, “I’m sick to death of this experiment. Why is it so important to you?”

“Oil spills are becoming far too common,” My!roph replied, “It’s only a matter of time before they hit one of our migratory homes.”

“They stay on the surface,” Sh’lck scoffed, “Who cares what happens on the _surface_.”

“ _We_ do,” My!roph replied sharply, “Because all the ocean is affected. The birds, the fish, the dolphins and whales…”

“Yes, yes,” Sh’lck waved him off, “The circle of life. Blah, blah, blah.”

“For a doctor your disdain of the living is alarming.”

“Those who can’t tolerate my bedside manner can find another doctor.”

“In another pod,” My!roph replied, “Considering the only other doctor we have is old and decrepit. He’s just as likely to tell you you’re healthy as sick, and neither with accuracy. The day he figures out we’re only humouring him by accepting the ‘potions’ he automatically makes for us is the day we break that poor fools heart.”

“ _Humouring_ him,” Sh’lck sneered, “Repulsive sentiment. He should be lured out to shark-infested waters and left there.”

“Sh’lck!”

“He’s a burden!”

“For the love of…”

“I believe ‘love’ is precisely why so many merpeople have had to help him along during migration!”

“What would mummy say?”

“Probably that it was _sweet_ ,” Sh’lck sneered, “Give me cold hard reason and I’ll give you _survival_. You are worried about the _living_ aren’t you? And preserving lives?”

“Your point?” 

“Someday someone is going to die because of him and then you’ll be sorry for all your ridiculous behaviour.”

“How is it ridiculous to preserve a life?” My!roph asked in alarm.

“It’s contrary to Natural Selection,” Sh’lck replied.

“I regret the day I let you on shore to visit a library,” My!roph snarled. 

“I regret the day I returned!” Sh’lck shouted back, then snatched up his conch and started blowing discordant notes until My!roph fled with his hands over his ears.

XXX

Sh’lck let the currents slowly drift him towards one of the walls of his cave and leaned there, eyes closed and head back, with his conch shell held tight to his chest. It hurt. It all hurt. Every human interaction was a drain on his system, sucking the emotion he kept closely guarded. With patients he could be brisk and distant, but with My!roph he was always being pulled out into the realm of _feelings_. He stroked the smooth inside of his shell and stared miserably at the colour within that still managed to invoke feelings of longing in his body. 

_ Jawn _ . 

He knew the young man was his mate. Merfolk felt these things deep inside of them. The problem lay with Sh’lck. He was broken somehow, so much so that Jawn couldn’t sense their link. It had to be on his end because Jawn was _perfect_ in every way. He came from an exemplary family, he had perfect attendance at school, and he excelled at everything he tried to do. He had now defied all expectation and become a Hunter/Gatherer, forcing himself to learn skills that he didn’t otherwise have naturally. His defiance was a beautiful thing. Many times there were men who were simply better at Hunting/Gathering or women who were better at Defending, but Jawn had been a better Defender and had stubbornly pushed his way out of the box he’d been placed in and _made_ himself good enough to not just _join_ but _lead_ the hunts. 

Sh’lck’s body shivered, responding to thoughts of the beautiful young man as it always did with a pulsing sensation starting in the front of his tail and spreading to the back. He _longed_ to be filled by something, _anything,_ but was left with that insistent pang since he had refused to put toys into his body. If he couldn’t have Jawn’s hard body pressing inside of him he would have nothing. He’d not even tried his fingers more than once, but once was enough to tease him into realizing how much he’d absolutely _love_ to be fucked. 

Instead he swam into the back of his office, past the entrance to his lab area, and back to his sleeping quarters. He tugged the coral woven door in place and flitted over to the netting that made up his bed. He curled into it, drawing it around him, and reached down to tease his mating slit. His shaft was just peaking out. He reached beneath it to slide his fingers inside and tease the small orbs within that held his seed. It was hot inside of him and he shivered as he thought of stroking Jawn this way. Would he like it? Some didn’t like their testicles stimulated while others loved it. Would Jawn prefer to turn Sh’lck around and take him fast and hard? Or would he make love to him slowly and sensually, touching every inch of him until he was completely wrecked? What if he preferred to bottom?

Sh’lck’s shaft had slid fully from his mating slit now, so he slipped his fingers from his slick slit, wrapped his fingers tightly around the base and slid it up to the tip, drawing a hiss from his lips. His back arched as he took up a punishing pace. Now that his body was fully aroused the urge to be filled from behind was throbbing through him and he was eager to finish himself off before the urge drove him mad. He could picture himself being wrapped in Jawn’s arms, tightly caressed as pleasure coursed through them both. Would he feel his hot release inside of him? Or only feel him swell and then stiffen as his pumping member flooded his body with their future pups? Sh’lck’s mobile cock thrust into his hand over and again, pulsing and slick from the oils inside of him. The double-ridged head was so sensitive it drew soft cries of pleasure from his lips. He gripped it tighter, holding off his release as he played out a sultry scenario in his mind.

_ You didn’t come with me, my love?  _ Jawn’s voice teased him, _Let me remedy that._

Jawn would swim around him, press him to the cave wall, using his strong tail to keep him trapped there, and lower his mouth to Sh’lck’s aroused slit. Sh’lck’s face flushed red in humiliation as Jawn offered his  mouth to be fucked by Sh’lck’s pulsing member. 

“No, Jawn,” Sh’lck whispered, his voice breathy with lust, “It’s not right… I should be… oh… _oh!_ ”

Sh’lck let his hand loosen enough to allow his thrusting cock to swell and slipped his free fingers back inside to tease his orbs. When he came it was explosive, his body writhing in the netting that held him safe from the currents. His seed mixed with the water that gave them life, leaving him trembling and feeling… 

_ Empty. _ _ _

XXX

Jawn hated the women from the other pods. They were always flirting with him while making misandrist comments. His own pod seemed to place him on a pedestal of how a man who reversed roles should behave; he was constantly being compared to the women around him and told that it was ‘so nice’ that he’d managed to excel in a ‘woman’s career’. It was all placating and demeaning, like petting a seal and talking to it in a bubbly voice. He hated it. Yet he was compelled to smile through it or they’d sneer at him and call him a radical malenist and woman hater. He didn’t hate women _per se_ , but he certainly was sick and tired of being talked down to or getting whale calls whenever he swam by. The men all assumed he preferred boys because of his chosen profession, which only made him try to act more manly around them but more feminine around the women he worked with. So he alternated between being sweet and silent around the men and brisk and crude around the women. He knew as many swear words as a human sailor but they remained tightly behind his lips when surrounded by the men who guarded their homes while the women (and Jawn) hunted and gathered food. 

It was entirely normal to see the men with babies wrapped in their arms, but Jawn remained stubbornly childless despite the urges of his body. If he wanted a romp with someone he would go up to the surface and bed her on dry land in his alternate form. In that way pregnancy was terminated before it could begin and he had no worry of himself or his partner getting up the duff. He’d ended up with a nasty nickname for his troubles: Three Continents Jawn. As if he didn’t have enough trouble now they called him a slut! For what? Enjoying himself? It made no sense. Women were encouraged to have sex; it was a sign of strength for a man or a woman to push a large child out of a small hole and survive; yet men who had sex for pleasure were considered less intelligent and immoral. There were even those who accused him of having sex with other sea creatures! They’d drawn an octopus above the entrance of his cave one day, leaving him _fuming_ with rage. He’d had to act calm as he’d cleaned it off or it would have just fuelled their torment. 

So it was with downcast eyes that Jawn approached the entrance to the doctor’s cave. He had to be demure around men or they’d mock him for being feminine. Yet he was just so damn _tired_ of pretending to be someone he wasn’t! And now he was hurt. He’d tried to ignore the sliver of wood lodged in his tail- to be tough like the other women were- but it throbbed every time he moved and was now beginning to swell and smell off. He suspected it was infected and his attempts to remove it had met with failure.

“Hello?” Jawn called. _How am I going to explain ignoring this for too long? He’ll mock me for acting like a thick-skulled woman. I’m so damn tired of being out of place. Maybe I should just settled down with a woman, take the Defender role, and go back to ignoring my urge for danger and excitement._

A gorgeous young man swam out of the deeper parts of the cave, his face flushed prettily in his pale skin, with a halo of wild dark hair curling around his face like a frame. His lips were so full they looked like a woman’s and his eyes like the inside of an abalone shell, which was complimented by a tail so dark that it would take Jawn days to figure out that it was purple rather than black. Jawn’s jaw dropped. He’d forgotten the adorable young merboy from his childhood, but here he undoubtedly was. Filled out and looking like the intellectual delicacy that most men presented. He’d rarely been attracted to a mind before, preferring the tough women he swam with, but _this_ was unprecedented. The doctor was undoubtedly as slim as a woman but with the hard planes of a man’s body. Jawn was alarmed to find his mating slit moistening as desire slithered through his body, and he shivered as if a current had tickled the back of his neck.

“Jawn,” The doctor stated, giving him a surprised look, “You’re injured.”

“Ah, yes, well…”

“And of _course_ you’ve let it fester!” The look on the doctor’s face turned furious, “Into that net. Well? What are you staring at? Now!”

Jawn flicked to it, his tail lashing quickly despite the pain as he quickly slipped into the net, pulling it partway around him and sliding his arms through two holes to hold him steady in the gentle currents of the doctor’s cave.

“I’m… well, I’m not usually so…”

“You’re an idiot,” The doctor replied, swimming over with a magnifying glass and a spine, “This isn’t going to hurt a bit.”

“Ow!” Jawn shouted as he stabbed him sharply right next to the swollen mass on his tail.

“I lied,” The doctor stated plainly, “Now hold still or it _will_ hurt more.”

“You telling the truth this time?” Jawn asked with his teeth clenched.

“Move and find out,” The merman replied, his tone threatening.

Jawn watched as he leaned forward to study his injured tail. The wound was far to the left and a few inches down from his mating slit, but it still presented his mind with a chorus of ideas. He swallowed hard and willed down his arousal, but it was difficult with the pain now numbed from the spine the doctor had stuck him with.

“So…” Jawn started, “Is it bad?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Am I going to lose my tail?” He joked, not really believing it.

“Possibly.”

“Wh-what?” Jawn asked, eyes going wide.

A small smile appeared at the corner of the merman’s lips and Jawn grinned in reply.

“Now really _do_ hold still. There’s something inside that I need to remove but it’s beneath your scales at a tricky angle.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve been trying to dig it out for a week.”

“Idiot,” The doctor muttered, “You’ll never get it out yourself. Besides. There’s not just wood in there.”

“There isn’t?” Jawn asked.

The doctor didn’t reply. He was carefully cutting between Jawn’s scales with a very thin stone knife. Once he’d managed that Jawn watched with growing fascination as he extracted the sliver and studied it with the magnifying glass a moment before slipping it into a jar and corking it. Then he returned to Jawn’s injury and continued to clean it out for a full ten minutes. His face looked tense and worried as he pressed what seemed like rivers of foul smelling liquid from his wound. 

“This happened in the Contana province, yes?”

“Yeah, but how did you know…”

“Elementary, my dear hunter. This is clearly wood from a tree grown in the southern provinces of Spain. The Spanish lost many ships in the Contana province, which the humans refer to has the Spanish Main. What concerns me is the foreign substance covering it.”

“It was from part of a mast that had been jammed into a coral reef,” Jawn replied, “We were trying to dislodge it because for some reason everything around it was dying.” 

“Yes, and now look what it’s done to you. You’ve not just got an infection here you’ve got poisoning.”

“Poisoning?” Jawn asked in alarm.

“Your skin is showing signs of chemical damage. I need to look at this in my lab and I’ll need to treat your wound on dry land. Come with me.”

Jawn clasped the merman’s hand and let himself be helped along since part of his tail was still numb. As they moved down the passage he saw two exits, one partially covered by a coral blockage. From that room came the distinct scent of the doctor and semen. The man had been having sex or a wank before he’d seen Jawn. They turned to the right and Jawn was half dragged up a slope. A net was lowered from where it dangled from a ceiling. A pulley was rigged to hoist patients up into the room above where it was _dry_. The doctor splashed out of the water and into what must have been an underground cave with _air_ in it! This far down?! Jawn gaped at the room he was lifted into, staring around at the moss that was carefully tended to make sure enough oxygen was in the room for their mutual survival. Stone tables were set up with odds and ends from the human world decorating them. A small _fire_ actually burnt on one table! Glow worms decorated the walls and ceiling to give the room light and a few iridescent fish joined them in the small pools around the cave.

“I’m curious, Jawn,” the doctor stated. 

“ _You’re_ curious?” Jawn asked, “This room shouldn’t even exist!”

“It represents months of labour, but that’s irrelevant. Why have I not had you as a patient before now?”

“Well I always saw Dr. Andersen.”

“It’s a miracle you’re alive,” the doctor replied dryly.

“Yeah,” Jawn laughed, “I guess I’m a bit sentimental. He delivered me, you know.”

“And I, but that was when he could still tell a tail from a receding hairline.”

Jawn laughed a bit, shaking his head in amusement as he was lowered down to rest on the ground. He managed to wiggle free of the netting on his own and stretched out to dry. The doctor had no such patience and dragged himself across the mossy floor to fiddle with different things before returning to Jawn’s side with a jar full of an odd orange-yellow substance. In that he soaked some cloth while glaring at Jawn’s wound as if scolding it would help things along.

“I suppose the poisoning is why I haven’t had an appetite of late.”

Silence.

“So what’s your name? I was just told where to go for a serious ailment.”

“Doctor.”

“Doctor who?” Jawn asked.

“Doctor Sh’lck,” He replied, looking irritated.

“That’s a nice name.”

“Hmm,” Jawn hissed in pain as Sh’lck began to pack his wound with the saturated cloth, “You’ll have to remain here for a few days.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jawn panted as his head reeled from the pain.

“I’ll set you up on a comfortable patch of moss, but we’ll have to move you daily to avoid it dying.”

“Yeah,” Jawn gasped.

“There, all done. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Compared to what?!” Jawn gasped.

Sh’lck wasn’t listening. His tail had dried enough to form legs and he stood and hurried over to his tables where he took the splinter from it’s jar and began to study it under the microscope again. He picked up a bottle of fluid and dripped some on the end of it. It hissed and bubbled and Sh’lck shook his head sadly.

“It’s bad?” Jawn asked.

“It’s oil. Oil from the human world. There must have been a spill wherever that mast was before it got knocked off the ship and ended up in our coral reef.”

“Oil?!” Jawn asked in horror, “Oh gods, please Poseidon let me live!”

“Don’t be stupid,” Sh’lck snorted, “You’ve barely gotten any into you. You’ll be fine now I know how to treat you. Our reef however will take centuries to recover. Honestly, how stupid are you Hunter/Gatherer types? It didn’t occur to you that something killing the reef and its occupants would harm you as well?”

“We _were_ careful!” Jawn snapped, “It was an accident.”

_ An accident involving them mocking me for being full of bulging muscles, and then me trying to prove that sometimes muscles were useful, and  _ then _me making a fool of myself._ __

“Likely story,” Sh’lck sighed, “I’m going to mix you up a detox tea. You’ll need to drink it all and then rest. You should be free to move about as soon as that wound is clear of infection.”

With that Sh’lck turned back to his table and effectively tuned Jawn out. As their tails dried out and became legs Jawn experienced a rather awkward situation. He’d only ever gone on land in order to have safe-sex-trysts, and now his body was fully conditioned to associate legs with sex. He ended up rather awkwardly trying to cover a pronounced erection when Sh’lck sat a cup of tea in front of him. 

“Take care of that, would you? The scent is distracting me from my work.”

Jawn blushed hotly, “What am I supposed to do with it?”

“You’re capable of masturbating, I assume,” Sh’lck snorted.

“In-in-in front of you?!” Jawn stammered, “Look, I don’t know what you think you’ve heard about me, but it’s not true! I’m not easy!”

“I could care less if you’re promiscuous or not. However, if it makes you feel better I believe the association of more than one sexual partner as degrading is ridiculous in a society that allows one gender to freely express their sexuality while repressing another. By that logic only female/female pairings would be possible without demeaning someone or marriage. Since not all females desire other females, calling men ‘sluts’ based on their enjoyment of activities that women are allowed to indulge in without judgment is moronic.”

“Yeah!” Jawn nodded, “Exactly what I’ve always thought!”

“Therefore there is absolutely no shame in you having had twelve different partners,” Dr. Sh’lck stated calmly _._ __

“How did you…” Jawn did a few mental calculations. Twelve was correct, “Have you been spying on me?”

“No,” Sh’lck replied, “I’m observant. Based on your personality, your sex drive, and the fact having legs triggers arousal, it seems likely that you’ve experimented with sex in more than one scenario. Since I’ve never heard of you having a steady partner that means you’ve had multiple ones. Given your age and the previously mentioned parameters I was able to deduce the number of twelve. Was I correct?”

“Yeah,” Jawn replied, his ardour gone as shame overwhelmed him.

“Now you’re exhibiting symptoms of self-consciousness,” Sh’lck stated, giving him an accusing glare over his shoulder, “If you truly believe that promiscuity isn’t disgraceful than you shouldn’t be feeling _anything_ over my having correctly deduced your number of sexual partners.”

“Maybe it’s just a _bit_ more difficult to shrug your shoulders in the face of _centuries_ of repressive societal expectations!” Jawn snapped. 

“Perhaps you think less of yourself than you let on.”

“And how many partners have _you_ had?” Jawn snapped.

“None.”

“You know what? Perhaps I’m sick and bloody tired of being told I’m not woman enough by the women and not manly enough by the men!” Jawn shouted angrily, “ _Maybe_ I’m sick and tired of having to defend myself every damn day against assaults that me simply defending myself against _makes me automatically less of a merperson!_ Maybe I’m frustrated by all the damn assumptions made about me on a daily fucking basis!”

“I feel the same,” Sh’lck stated blandly.

“What?” Jawn asked, deflated by his agreement.

“While doctor is considered a masculine field- in that most women would laugh at the idea of being something as domestic as a doctor- my attitude and mannerisms are considered feminine by most who see me. I’ve a reputation for being a genius doctor, diagnostician, and chemist… and a freak that is to be avoided at all costs. I’m called doctor to my face and psychopath behind my back, which is inaccurate since I’m properly a high functioning sociopath.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jawn replied softly, “It must be very lonely.”

“I don’t get lonely,” Sh’lck replied disdainfully.

“How would you know?” Jawn wondered.

Sh’lck glared at him and Jawn muttered an apology.

“At least your erection is gone,” Sh’lck sighed.

“Sorry,” Jawn muttered again, “It must be annoying to see someone aroused around you when you’ve not… er…”

“And here we reach the _other_ paradox, in which being a virgin is _pathetic_ ,” Sh’lck snarled, “I could have someone if I wanted, but what I truly crave is an intellectual equal rather than some mindless jock rutting against my tail! So thank you _very_ much for your pity Jawn, but I’m quite fine on my own!”

“You don’t seem fine,” Jawn replied, “You seem angry and stand-offish.”

“Now who’s making assumptions? Just because you’ve riled me by being an idiot parroting ideals you barely understand doesn’t mean that I’m normally irked!”

“I didn’t m-“

“Just because your arousal disturbs me, doesn’t mean I want you sexually or any other way!”

“Well, I never actually s… wait, do you?”

“Just because I… Wait what? No!” Sh’lck shouted, then turned from his workbench, bolted across the mossy floor, and dove into the water to exit the area in a splash of fin. 

Jawn was left sitting in pain, sipping at frankly _awful_ tea, and wondering what the desert he’d just stirred up. 


	4. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 4

 

Sh’lck made sure not to spend more time than necessary around Jawn each day. He gave him his medication, rapidly changed his bandages, and avoided all conversation. That being said, the silence was shockingly comfortable. Sh’lck wasn’t sure how that could be after their awkward separation the first day, but Jawn was apparently fine with letting that topic rest as he recuperated. Eventually Sh’lck started spending his time in the lab again, working on his experiment with the new data he’d gotten when checking the area where they’d dumped the oil-covered mast after removing it from the reef.

“This is alarming,” Sh’lck told himself, “All of the spills I’ve examined in the past were comprised of very light oils that evaporated quickly over the course of a few days. This, however, is clearly months old.”

“It’s the black oil,” Jawn stated, startling Sh’lck who had quite forgotten his presence, “The black oil just… never goes away. It smothers everything it touches.”

“How do you know about that?” Sh’lck asked, turning and glaring at him sharply. _Cor, he’s beautiful._

“I’ve travelled a great deal,” Jawn replied, “When we migrate I’m required to stay on the outer fringes and chase off predators. Sometimes we go on excursions. Also I talk to other meres- something most merpeople don’t do.” 

“You talk to other meres?” Sh’lck asked in shock, “Isn’t that forbidden unless accompanied by an elder?”

“Yes and no,” Jawn shrugged, “I’m not allowed to discuss policy or court anyone without an elder, but on my own I can ask about dangers in the area. The black oil has come up a few times from the northern meres. Avatar mere was wiped out by the black oil.”

“Wiped out… what do you mean _wiped out_.”

“It’s a surfer term. It’s what happens when I surfer falls off their board and-”

“I’m aware of that!” Sh’lck snapped, “I meant, _what_ _happened to them exactly.”_

“They’re…” Jawn blinked in surprise, “I’m sorry, but… well…”

“Spit it out!”

“They’re dead. They’re mostly dead. I’m sure a few survivors joined other meres, but…”

“All how? The oil stays on the surface!”

“Yeah, but it poisons _everything_. It killed their reef. It drove the predators into their home. They had to go near shores for food and shelter. Some got the stuff on their skin and a sickness started. Then it poisoned them on the inside when they ate the food near the shores. I only heard rumours of the effects, but from what I have heard they birds couldn’t fly, the seals all froze to death, and the merpeople… they just… wilted.”

“Wilted,” Sh’lck scoffed, “We’re not _plants_. We don’t wilt.”

“Apparently we do,” Jawn replied softly, “I was sent up to investigate when we passed by. It had long since been cleaned up by the humans, but the entire area was barren. I found some remains of our people still in their homes and took care to treat them. No one had done so.”

“No one broke them up?” Sh’lck asked in shock. It had long been policy to tear apart the bodies of their beloved dead in order to ensure the humans remained unaware of their existence. Usually a predator was utilized- with the mere watching over to make sure the tail and torso were separated- but if there were none available than the survivors were duty bound to take on that task. That none had done so…

“There was no one there,” Jawn replied, “No one.”

“Not even _sharks_?”

“The sharks were dead,” Jawn replied, “Some died mid-feed. I’m not even sure I got them all. The currents probably washed many of them away.”

“Cor!” Sh’lck replied in horror, staring down at his samples, “I need more samples.”

“I can get them for you once I’m well.”

“You’d suffocate,” Sh’lck replied, “The oil is dangerous to breathe.”

“Not the black oil,” Jawn shook his head, “It stays on the surface more than the invisible stuff. The water doesn’t smell or taste any different for the most part. It’s just… poisoning everything that touches it.”

“Cor,” Sh’lck repeated at a whisper, “You’d collect samples for me?”

“I’m duty bound to help you if you need it, so yeah… er… not that I wouldn’t anyway cause… well, I’d be delighted to help.”

“You’d be delighted to swim through dead waters to collect filthy substances for me?” Sh’lck replied sarcastically, “Are you a masochist?”

“What? No! I just…”

Sh’lck stood and stretched, heading for the pool that returned him to his quarters, “Nevermind. I’ll ask someone less likely to get himself _hurt._ ”

“Now wait a second!” Jawn snapped, but Sh’lck could barely hear him with the water over his head.

XXX

Jawn was stubborn. He’d been told that enough times to believe it and take it in as part of his personality. That fact didn’t prevent him from being harmed by his stubbornness, but it _did_ make it a good deal easier to resign himself to solid fact and recognize when his stubbornness was going to _get_ him hurt. The solid fact he was facing now was this: he had a massive crush on Sh’lck and the berk tended to brush of everyone’s emotions. So when Jawn returned to Sh’lck’s cave a week after his release with a courting gift in his hands it was with the expectation that he’d get swatted down, and with enough force to send him spinning. His expectations were well met.

“Hello Sh’lck,” Jawn called, slipping in as soon as the last patient left. 

“I’m about to turn in. What do you want? You’re clearly not hurt… _yet.”_ Sh’lck gave him a caustic glare.

“Ah, well…” Jawn smiled softly and held out his present, wrapped tightly in seaweed. 

“What, dinner?”

“Well, if you like, but it’s a present,” Jawn replied with a smile.

“Why is it wrapped in _food?_ ”

“Well,” Jawn blinked in surprise, “Everyone wraps presents in food. That way you can eat together and enjoy your gift. It’s symbolic. Haven’t you ever gotten a _present_ before?”

“No,” Sh’lck replied sharply.

“But you must have heard of the tradition?”

“If I ever was aware I’ve deleted it,” Sh’lck replied, “I haven’t got the space in my skull for trivialities.”

“Trivi… okay. Just… Never mind,” Jawn held it out, “Basically you unwrap it, eat the wrapping if you like, and enjoy what’s inside.”

“The non-edible bit, I assume?” Sh’lck replied.

“Exactly.”

“Aren’t I meant to… reciprocate of something? I haven’t got one for you,” Sh’lck flicked his hair out of his face, looking surprisingly nervous about the situation.

“Well, that’s fine,” Jawn replied, “I don’t need one. I just want you to enjoy _this_ one.”

“If you like,” Sh’lck shrugged, “Though I’ve no idea what I’ll do with _two_ conch shells.”

Jawn’s eyes widened, “You… what?”

“A conch shell,” Sh’lck replied, pointing to a nearby shelf that did indeed contain a shell, “I’ve already got one and I rather like it. You could keep that one if you…”

Jawn fled, his present tumbling out of his hands as his eyes burned. He swam fast and hard to his own cavern and ducked inside it, hugging himself tightly. He’d had no idea. He’d asked around about other suitors but everyone had been dismissive of the caustic doctor; he’d assumed he would only have to contend with Sh’lck’s personality. Whoever had a claim on Sh’lck was keeping it secretive, perhaps enough so that Sh’lck thought it was _Jawn_ who had given him the first shell- that must be the truth because even _he_ couldn’t be so cruel as to flaunt his suitor in front of Jawn in such a taunting fashion. Jawn had been with more than a few women, but this was the first time he’d ever been drawn to someone in a way that had prompted him to want _more_ than a shag with them. That it was a man was irrelevant. Sh’lck was domestic and Jawn was a hunter. They would _work_. He could be happy with the brilliant, beautiful man. 

_ Only if I find his suitor and beat her in combat _ , Jawn thought miserably, _Assuming she’s not faster than I am as most of the women are._

As Jawn floated about in his cavern and mourned his lost love that stubborn resolve filled him. He _would_ figure out who Sh’lck’s suitor was and best her! He’d kill her if he had to! He’d have that ethereal creature as his own mate, fill him with his sprog, and keep him sated and happy in their caves together. Jawn’s shaft throbbed inside of him and he coaxed it out as a violent desire curled beneath his scales. Jawn’s hand formed a fist for his mobile cock to thrust into as he fingered his soft folds at the opening of his mating slit. His fingers became firm and possessive, and he groaned as he pictured himself ravaging the black haired merman. 

_ I’ll bend him over his workbench… no… I want him pregnant and that means in the water. All shiny purple scales and pale white skin. I’ll tie him up in his own bedding and take him over and over again until his stomach swells. _

Jawn thrashed so hard that he propelled himself into his own sleeping room wals, gasping and crying out in pleasure as he came hard at the image of Sh’lck’s belly swollen with his merlings. The little splashes would keep him content and sweet, and if that didn’t work Jawn would fuck him again until he was complacent. Surely all the prat needed was a bit of attention, which was something Jawn was _very_ willing to give to him.

_ I’m not giving up. I’m going to kill the other contender for your heart and have you for my own, my snarky little blackcap basslet. _ _ _

<http://www.101-saltwater-aquarium.com/graphics/blackcap-basslet.jpg>

 

XXX

“You _idiot_!” My!roph groaned, lowering his head into his hand in misery, “Someone _finally_ shows interest in you and you turn him away!”

“What are you talking about?” Sh’lck asked in confusion, turning to where his brother had swum up into his lab and propped his arms up on the dry cavern floor. 

“Jawn swam into my office today demanding the name to your _other suitor_. He intends to challenge her to a fight to the death to earn your affection. He was fuming, Sh’lck! I’ve never seen a merman driven to such… such… _feminine hysterics!_ ” 

“Odd,” Sh’lck mused, “He always acted a bit… gender neutral… when he was here. Anyway, you must be mistaken. He prefers female bodied merpeople.”

“Not anymore. Now he’s swearing to kill anyone who so much as _glances_ at you.”

“That will be a rather short list,” Sh’lck snorted.

“Sh’lck!” 

“Oh, honestly,” Sh’lck sighed, “He obviously isn’t _truly_ interested, or he’d have come here with you once you assured him I haven’t _got_ a suitor.”

“I couldn’t assure him of that as he wouldn’t hear me out! He insisted you flaunted the other merperson’s conch beneath his nose and then suggested he keep his!”

“So?”

“So?!” My!roph gaped at him, “Is… _is_ there someone?”

“Why? Is it part of some odd mating ritual?”

My!roph was so alarmed he was left mouthing the words ‘mating ritual’ over and again for a while until Sh’lck reminded him to breathe. 

“Sh’lck,” My!roph sighed, “My _dear_ little brother…”

“You’re not going to be _dull_ are you?” Sh’lck sighed.

“Three gifts are exchanged during a courtship. First the person interested will give you a conch shell, _that you will accept_ unless you are already being courted!”

“I have a perfectly good conch that I…”

“ _Unless you are already being courted!_ ” My!roph shouted, his voice echoing around Sh’lck’s cave, “Regardless of owning a conch of your own! Build a new bloody shelf!”

Sh’lck turned from his kneeling position in front of his workbench and let out a heavy sigh, “I didn’t realize when I accepted the first conch that it was part of a mating ritual. This could become problematic. What is the second gift?”

“Food. To prove his ability to care for you. You have an option to accept or reject him at this point. He should have done his research and presented you with one or more of your favourite foods. If he hasn’t, then he has failed to learn enough about you to be worthy of taking you as a mate.”

“I’ll assume the wrapping around the conch doesn’t count in this instance. And the third?” Sh’lck asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“A pet to prove he is responsible enough to help you care for any sprog you two should have. You either reject it or accept it. If you reject it you can follow it up by offering _him_ one as a sign you want him to be the bearer- or to be equals, some do that these days- or you can simply tell him you’ve lost interest. If you accept you would move in together- with a chaperone by the old ways so that your virginity could remain intact- and you two would proceed to play house until you felt you were ready to make your decision. At that point you would either accept his proposal by sounding his conch in the middle of the nearest pod gathering area or reject him by returning it.”

“Then I still have one to go,” Sh’lck mused. 

“What do you mean?” My!roph asked, eyebrow cocked, “He’s brought you food already?”

“Not Jawn, no,” Sh’lck replied.

“What are you talking about? You’ve had that conch for _years_!”

“Oh?” Sh’lck perked up a bit, “Is there a time period for this sort of thing? Perhaps she’s lost interest and I can accept Jawn’s conch with an… apology… or something.”

My!roph’s eyes widened, “You’re joking. Someone actually _gave_ you that conch? Who?!”

“A female from another mere.”

“Sh’lck!” My!roph groaned, hauling himself into the lab and sitting with his tail slapping the water in irritation, “You aren’t supposed to associate with other mere’s without someone else…”

“I know!” Sh’lck snapped, “Without a chaperone! I’m not a _child_ My!roph! Though I suppose I was at the time…”

“How long ago?”

“While we were children. She was most insistent I take it. Then she sought me out a few years later and brought me food. We ate it together. Is _that_ symbolic in any way?”

“It might be the start of ‘playing house’, though the lack of a pet is telling.”

“She might still bring me one. I suppose I should give Jawn a chance to compete?” Sh’lck asked innocently.

“Considering he’s from _your mere_ I should hope so!” My!roph snarled, “Who is this woman? How old is she? If she took advantage of you as a child…”

“Don’t be disgusting,” Sh’lck snarled, wrinkling up his nose, “As if I’d ever allow _that_!”

“Then you’ve at least got _some_ sense. I’ll go find Jawn and explain to him that you have an old and possibly abandoned claim on you. He’ll have to decide if he wants to pursue you or give up his challenge. What mere is she from?”

“No idea.”

“Sh’lck, I’ve seen you deduce a fishes birth place from the scales they shed. Don’t lie to me.”

“I _am_ entitled to keep some things to myself, aren’t I?” Sh’lck asked, turning his back and returning to his experiment. 

“Fine,” My!roph sighed, “For _now_. Honestly if this turns into an inter-mere incident I’ll have your fins on my wall!”

“No you won’t,” Sh’lck snorted, and then promptly ignored him.

XXX

It took every ounce of Jawn’s bravery to swish his fins back into Sh’lck’s cavern. He scratched at the entry way and waited for a hail before continuing further in to his office area. 

“Yes? Oh. Your conch again,” Sh’lck glanced up, “You left it earlier. It’s on my desk. I accept your courtship, and do accept my regrets that I unintentionally rejected it previously. Now do leave. I’m very busy.”

Sh’lck was sorting various plants into bottles, his eyes narrowed as he made sure every single tiny leaf made it into a container before being sealed. He looked tired and his body radiated tension.

“Can I help you with that?” Jawn asked glancing at his conch. It was being used to keep things from floating off on the currents around Sh’lck’s work surface.

“No.”

“Can I spend a bit of time with you?”

“I. Am. Busy,” Sh’lck replied, his face flushing in apparent anger.

“Okay I’ll just… I’ll come back later.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I have to spend time with you, to get to know you. If I don’t than I can’t…”

“You spent two whole weeks sleeping, eating, and wanking here. If you don’t know my favourite foods by now you never will,” Sh’lck snapped, corking a bottle and snatching up another. This one had bits of gravel in it that he peered at through a thick glass held in his free hand.

“Yeah, but I literally _never_ saw you eat. Ever. I’m worried you’re existing on plankton filtered through that constantly flapping mouth of yours!” Jawn snapped irritably.

Sh’lck froze and slowly lowered the glass, eyes rising to Jawn’s face. Jawn blushed but stood his ground, refusing to apologize for his insult despite the fact he was courting the one he’d just snapped at. Sh’lck was being an arse! He’d be dried if he was going to just float there and take it! Sh’lck placed his bottle back down on the rock that functioned as his work station in his underwater office and calmly folded his hands across his abdomen, letting the current float him a bit as he relaxed backwards into a casual position.

“What do you want to know?”

“Sorry?”

“You have to _earn_ the knowledge of my favourite food- and with that attitude you just might manage it. Anything else, however, is fair game. Go on and ask away. You have five questions a day and then I’m swatting you out.” 

“Who is your suitor?”

“Her name is Korra.”

“Her mere?”

“The Avatar mere.”

Jawn smothered the triumphant look on his face and replied as was expected, “My condolences.”

“Oh, she’s not dead. When you told me that I swam out and had a look around for her. As I suspected she’s managed to survive.”

“What mere is she in _now_?” Jawn asked, “And that doesn’t count because I asked you that and you told me her _former_ mere the first time round.”

Sh’lck’s lips turned up just a bit at the corners, “She doesn’t have one. She’s _quite_ independent.”

Jawn gaped. Surviving alone in the ocean was quite the feat for any merperson. Unlike most predators, merpeople had to sleep. She was a tentacle-less jellyfish out there!

 “Three more.”

“Salty or sweet?”

“Cheating. Two more.”

“Damn! Er… Will you go swimming with me?”

“Yes,” Sh’lck replied quickly. Jawn blinked in surprise. Sh’lck followed it up with a quickly stated addition, “So long as we go someplace _private_. I’ll not be made a fool of in front of the entire mere.”

“I’ll not make a fool of you,” Jawn replied, “Or try not to. I know how brilliant you are… Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No,” Sh’lck replied, then turned a brilliant shade of pink and quickly flicked his tail to bring himself upright, “That was your last question. Good day.”

Sh’lck flicked that dark purple tail of his and swam off in a hurry while Jawn stared after him, drooling with lust and _needing_ more of that snarky bastard’s company. He was reminded of a dolphin call that some of the women often shouted at men from time to time.

_ If your tail were any longer I’d worry you were an octopus dick! _

XXX

Mere/pod = group of mermaids

Splash/Pup = nickname for merchildren

desert= hell

You’re such an /insert fish species here/ = insult/nickname depending on the fish 

Dried = damned 

Octopus dick= An octopus penis- called a hectocotylus- is both detachable (so his prospective mate can use it at her whim) and his longest arm. 

tentacle-less jellyfish = sitting duck/dead on the water/helpless

[Black Cap Basslet Info](http://www.101-saltwater-aquarium.com/fishes-information/black-cap-basslet.php)

<http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/oil-types.html>

_ Jawn and Sh’lck are discussing several different types of oils. Lighter oils contaminate the water more, sifting beneath the surface and poisoning EVERYTHING, but evaporate/dissipate relatively quickly. They can NOT be cleaned up by man. Heavier oils will mostly stay on the surface, but they will destroy the surface life both by coating them so their skin/fur/feathers don’t function correctly and by poisoning via ingestion. Some can be cleaned and others can’t. Their effects are lasting and devastating. Due to the location of their mere, Sh’lck has not come in contact with the heavier oils until now. _ _ _


	5. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 5

 

Sh’lck still watched Jawn from afar. It wasn’t difficult in town, but outside of it he had to be cautious and often a Jawn Sighting would be few and far between. He’d be out on patrol and Sh’lck would be out collecting medicinal specimens so he would occasionally spot him and be able to creep after for a bit. If a squad without Jawn spotted him, he’d simply ignore them, if Jawn’s squad spotted him he’d _pretend_ to ignore them. Usually they left him alone, but apparently Jawn being a hunter/gatherer and his very _public_ tantrum about wanting to mate with Sh’lck brought the female portion of their mere down on him. 

“Hey there Basslet,” A flirtatious voice called.

Sh’lck quirked an eyebrow up at her, “What did you call me?”

“Basslet,” She smirked. The woman addressing him was a merwoman with a black tail shaped a bit like an eel’s tail. Her vicious grin was more than a bit threatening and her hair was tied up with spines. 

“As in black cap, I assume. Gramma, _melacara_ , a mostly purple fish with a black head and a temper to match. It’s a fitting association. Pity you stupidly assume a pet name from a potential suitor would be insulting to me. A bit demeaning perhaps, but then I don’t expect otherwise from a privileged female.”

“Privileged?” She asked, tail lashing aggressively as she circled Sh’lck to intimidate him, “You don’t know me!”

Sh’lck smirked. That was the opening he’d been hoping for. He took a deep breathe through the gills in his sides and launched into a tirade with words spat out as rapid fire as a mantis shrimp’s strike.

“You’re a hunter female with two parents who were so poor they had you start hunting and gathering long before you grew your final spine on your caudal fin. You lost your virginity not long after to a much older female, likely in your squad. Rather than turn her in you arranged her death. Quite well, I might add.”

The female had frozen in horror, staring down at him with obvious fear in her eyes. 

“Don’t worry,” Sh’lck continued, “I won’t tell anyone. She deserved it, after all. That being said: _yes_ , you do still have privilege. You are able to swim through these waters relatively unmolested based on your gender alone. Your station in life means you weren’t even _questioned_ on the woman’s murder. However had I been on her squad I would have been inspected from top to bottom and then groped by the questioning peacekeeper. I might even be coerced into having sex with her- assuming I’d ever _allow_ that, which I wouldn’t.”

She backed away from him, her fins moving anxiously with her arms raised in unconsciously defensive motions. Sh’lck quirked an eyebrow and she swam off in a hurry. Sh’lck thought that was the last of her, but when she returned it was with her entire squad. Including _Jawn_. 

“Lo, Sh’lck,” Jawn smiled warmly, but the worry in his eyes belied his soft tone. He knew something was up, but when the females began to circle him he didn’t join in as Sh’lck had expected. Instead he joined Sh’lck in the centre of their motions. The water swirled his hair and Sh’lck’s brain temporarily spaced out on him as it watched the golden threads sway in the currents.

“Hello, Jawn. Guessed my favourite food yet?” Sh’lck forced out.

“No, but I will,” Jawn replied.

“You’ll have to hurry. Korra has been by. She’s trying to decide out what sort of pet to get me. So far she’s far off base. I can’t _stand_ clams. They’re so… dull.”

Sh’lck gave the females around them a glare, pointedly insulting them. Most of them got it and returned his glare. 

“Just _take_ him, Jawn. No one will know but us. Get him up the duff and he’ll be yours,” One hissed. 

Sh’lck felt a stab of fear go through him but he didn’t let it show. He was an excellent fighter for a male, but taking on this many faster women was simply impossible. 

“That’s disgusting,” Jawn scoffed, much to Sh’lck’s surprise, “Why would I want him like that? He’d resent me for the rest of my life.”

“Then steal a kiss and let’s be out of here,” The murderess hissed, anxiety in her eyes. Clearly this wasn’t what she’d had planned.

“I’m not going to steal one,” Jawn snapped, “I’m going to _earn_ one.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Sh’lck scoffed, “You can’t even figure out my favourite food.”

“Because you never _eat_ , you skinny thing,” Jawn laughed, “When you’re mine I’ll make you fat with babies.”

“The fact you think that’s charming is enough to put me off food for a week,” Sh’lck replied, folding his arms and moving his tail lazily. He wasn’t going to let them rattle him.

“Okay then,” Jawn smiled, “ _I’ll_ be the one full of babies.”

The females stopped swimming so suddenly that the current propelled them into each other and there was an awkward moment of slapped faces and bumped limbs. It was entirely ridiculous and Sh’lck and Jawn laughed at their antics as they tried to untangle themselves. While it wasn’t completely unusual for a hunter/gatherer to be a carrier, it usually only happened when both couples were hunter/gatherers or the defender had medical issues. 

Sh’lck smiled warmly at Jawn’s words and unwrapped his arms as the females flitted off, clearly unwilling to be part of what wasn’t proving to be entertaining. 

“That’s open minded of you,” Sh’lck replied. 

Jawn shrugged, “I’m not opposed to it. I can become a defender for a while until the baby is ready to be left with you.”

“Hm,” Sh’lck cocked his head to one side, “She’ll be in a mask.”

“What?” Jawn asked in surprise.

“My other suitor. She’ll be in a mask that resembles a skull and she’ll smell like a shark. She’s… aggressive that way.”

“Makes sense,” Jawn replied, “Only someone with a lot of strength would court you.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a backwards way of complimenting yourself?”

Jawn smiled, but it was cold, “I’m going to kill her, Sh’lck. I just wanted to warn you so you can prepare yourself for her death. I’ll hate to see you sad, but it’s the only way to get a tail up on someone who’s had years to court you.”

“No,” Sh’lck replied calmly, “No you will not. If you kill her I will reject you, no matter how much I might have fallen for you. I’m a healer at heart, Jawn. Killing for the sake of it is against everything I believe in. If you kill her you will have destroyed my faith in you. Best her if you can, but do so using your mind.”

“What if it comes down to a challenge?”

“That would be different,” Sh’lck replied, “Just don’t go _hunting_ her. She has enough monsters on her tail.”

Jawn nodded in acceptance of his conditions and Sh’lck snatched up his netting full of medicine and swam quickly away before desire could overwhelm him. Or he tried to, but Jawn caught at his fin, stopping him with just a bit of gentle pressure. He stopped and stared back awkwardly while Jawn moved up to swim beside him. 

“A kiss? I’ve earned that much, haven’t I?”

“By agreeing not to murder someone in cold blood?” Sh’lck scoffed.

“By agreeing to give up _my right_ to stalk and kill a competitor, yes.”

Sh’lck hesitated- wondering if this would be his only chance to kiss those pale lips- and that was apparently all Jawn needed. He flitted forward, cupped the back of Sh’lck’s head with one strong hand, and pressed their lips together. Sh’lck was so overwhelmed by the sudden heat that he simply remained still while Jawn’s lips caressed his. When his tongue prodded his still lips he opened his mouth obediently, his eyes falling shut as a soft groan of desire slipped free. Jawn echoed it and his other arm joined the mix to wrap tightly around Sh’lck’s thin waist. He was now flush with Jawn, their mating slits wet with lust. Sh’lck shivered as the hot muscle in Jawn’s mouth slid into his mouth in mimicry of another hot, wet muscle. It sent visions dancing through his head and he gave an involuntary jerk of his tail. It sent them into a mimicry of a mating spiral, Jawn’s own tail instinctively joining in the motions of an age-old dance that would cause them to slowly move as one while pressed into the body of the other. That wasn’t to happen this time because once Sh’lck felt the unfamiliar movements of the currents teasing his skin and Jawn’s shaft sliding free he panicked, pulled free, and fled in a hurry. He was wet at both ends, the head of his shaft peaking out of his swollen slit, and frantic for more. Yet despite desire powerful enough to make him shake he was far more concerned with protecting his heart.

_ XXX Mantis shrimp. Fuck yeah.  _ _ [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FEj9U-CJM ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FEj9U-CJM) _

Jawn knew he had little to no time to act, but he also knew he had no way to guess Sh’lck’s favourite food when he literally _never_ ate in front of anyone. He’d tried asking at all the local restaurants, both in and outside of their mere, but those who specialized in preparing food both raw and cooked- a process that required they own a restaurant on the surface and cater to both human and merefolk- had never seen him.  When he heard rumours of a skull-mask wearing mermaid hanging out about Sh’lck’s home he decided he was going to have to do something reckless if he was going to catch up to Korra. Sadly, he had no way to rush the process without cheating… so he was going to cheat a bit.

Which brought Jawn to Sh’lck’s home with a sleepy, well-fed octopus in his arms. He had no container for it as he would have had to commission one and time was of the essence, so he’d decided to simply begin training it and go from there. Jawn scratched at the entryway and slipped in when prompted. The area smelled of shark and Jawn shuddered at the oily smell.

“She’s here?” Jawn asked as Sh’lck came out of one of his examination rooms, a section surrounded by wooden planks from old ships much decorated with barnacles and other life. 

“She was this morning, yes,” Sh’lck replied, frowning at Jawn, “I’ve a patient waiting. What did you want?”

“To give you a pet,” Jawn replied proudly, holding out his sleepy companion, “And ask if you’ll let me move in.”

“An Octopus, _vulgaris_? That’s not my favourite food.”

“Oh, er, I’m done that part. Oh, and I didn’t get you an octopus for the _other_ reason you think!” Jawn stammered, blushing furiously, “I got it because I thought you’d find it fascinating due to how intelligent they are. I thought we could build it an obstacle course together. They can go through any hole that’s-“

“Smaller than their beak, I know. What reason was I to have thought it was for, if not food?” Sh’lck asked.

“Um… never mind,” Jawn chuckled. _He’s so adorably socially awkward! I guess he’s never heard of the old reef legend about octopi being used for masturbation…_

“You mentioned being done with the food aspect?” Sh’lck stated, rubbing his hands together as he stared at the octopus. He clearly wanted to take it but was hesitating over formalities. In fact he could barely focus and started muttering to himself, “It will be _fascinating_ to watch…”

“And nearly impossible to keep reigned in, much how I imagine a child of ours would be. I’ll have to stay near to keep him under control.”

That brought Sh’lck’s attention back to Jawn and their courtship. His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed, “The food?”

“You told me to win you with brains, not brawn. So I have. I already gave you your favourite of something and you accepted it. Quite… fervently,” Jawn gave him a steamy smile and Sh’lck flushed brilliantly.

“That… that’s not food. Saliva has no nutritional properties…”

“You keep telling me you hate to eat,” Jawn replied with a shrug, “Which has _less_ than no nutritional properties, by the way. And you _did_ devour my saliva rather eagerly. I’ve some more if you’d like…”

“That’s disgusting,” Sh’lck replied, trying to look repulsed.

“A bit,” Jawn acknowledged with a smile, “But you have to admit I’ve won that round.”

“Except that Korra brought me to a beach party and served me yam wunsen kung about six years ago. I’d say _she’s_ ahead of the game.”

“Yes, but I got you your _pet_ first-“

“-That I have yet to accept-”

“-That you’re _itching_ to accept. So I’m winning.”

“Winning?” Sh’lck’s eyes went from amused and a bit pleased to disgusted and angry in a flash, “What are you _winning_ exactly?”

“Your… love?” Jawn asked, trying to recover, “And respect? And… er… attention?”

“Attention?” Sh’lck snorted, and then turned and swam back in to his patient with a flick of his tail. 

“I’ll just…” Jawn called hesitantly, “I’ll just go and pack, then! Be back in an hour!”

No reply. Jawn decided that was as good as permission and swam off to grab his packed net of odds and ends for his stay. 

XXX

“Sh’lck!” The masked female hissed, “Get this thing _off_ of me!”

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Sh’lck sighed, pulling the skull mask off. It was the skull-shaped shell sculpture he had made from the remaining shells of his former friend. Beneath it was the visage of his _current_ friend, the unfortunately named Mollusk. 

“It’s awful! Why can’t I just be _me_ and courting you?” She whinged.

“Molly,” Sh’lck sighed, “Jawn will _not_ be impressed with _you_. He will be entirely _un_ impressed.”

“I thought you wanted to keep him _away_ from you, not make him impressed with me,” Molly grumbled.

Mollusk was a mortician for their mere, a shy female defender who kept sharks for their death ritual. She was more at home with her sharks than with merpeople, but she and Sh’lck had been friends since they were very small. His fondest memories included Molly; some of her worst included him. 

“I don’t want him to _hate_ me. I just want to go back to being invisible to him,” Sh’lck snapped, “How can I stalk him if he’s always watching me?”

“That’s just a _bit_ unhealthy,” Molly pointed out with an awkward laugh.

“Just do as I say,” Sh’lck snapped, “I’ll pad the inside of the mask.”

“What if he kills me and you end up all alone?” Molly worried.

Sh’lck paused in his and stared up at her with a bit of alarm on his face, “Your priorities are alarmingly skewed. As for that, I’ve made him promise not to hunt you down.”

“What about a challenge?”

“I suggest you not invoke one.”

“And if he does?”

“I’ll think of something,” Sh’lck replied, blinking rapidly.  

XXX

He was already packed, but he didn’t want to seem _too_ desperate or sure of himself so he spent the hour working on training their octopus once more. He was decidedly curious, but offering him toys kept his interest long enough that he didn’t try to escape too often. Finally Jawn swam back towards Sh’lck’s domain, but on the way something blocked the light from above and his eyes flew up just as the defenders nearest bolted upwards, armed with weapons. __

“Whale! Whale! Get the children inside! _Whale!_ ” 

Defenders all jumped into action, those pregnant snatching younglings from the currents and dragging them towards the nearest home. Jawn, however, saw something horrific making shadows in the wake of the slowly descending beast. Its movements were not normal. It was _twitching_ as it _sank_ , which was unusual in itself for any swimming sea creature. 

“Don’t touch it!” Jawn screamed, “Let it sink! Flee! Get out of its way! Don’t touch the whale! _Poison! Black oil!”  
  
_

[CHAPTER 6](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/187599.html)


	6. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 6

 

Sh’lck had just dismissed Molly in her mask when My!roph came in at top speed with a look of horror on his face.

“Tell me you’ve finished your experiments. _Tell me you’ve gotten results!”_

Sh’lck’s eyes widened in horror, “How close is the spill.”

My!roph pointed straight up and Sh’lck fled to his lab. Jawn came in a second later and followed Sh’lck into his lab, pulling himself up onto the mossy rocks.

“Are you alright?” Jawn asked.

“Of course,” Sh’lck snapped, “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“What can I do to help?” 

“I don’t suppose you have substantial proof that the gods are real?” Sh’lck asked irritably, “And one of them owes you a favour?”

“Anything else?”

“What alerted everyone?”

“A dying fin whale sank down here. It must have voided its air.” 

Sh’lck stared at him in horror, “It will crush everything!”

“The defenders are taking care of it. Those who aren’t pregnant, that is. Or too young.”

“They’ll catch the sickness!” Sh’lck shouted angrily, “They have to wear covers on their hands and arms! Like humans wear!”

Sh’lck held up the gloves he’d made but Jawn shook his head, “They’re using spears to try and push its body into a current that will take it away from us, but many are bound to come in contact.”

“Then I’d better give these to you,” Sh’lck replied, hesitating as he held out the gloves, “Just… stay safe.”

“What are you going to do?” Jawn asked as he slipped the gloves on.

“Start making multiple batches of anti-toxin washes and teas. Find M… Korra. Send her in. She can help me.”

“Korra?!” Jawn spat out angrily.

“Just do it. Put your feud aside for now. And tell My!roph to shove it if he suggests Andersen!”

Jawn ground his teeth a moment, then slipped their octopus down onto the ground and slid back into the water. It didn’t take long to find Korra. She was with the defenders for some reason, helping to push the whale towards their kelp fields. Jawn felt a lurch of horror. They’d all starve! Yet it was that or have a whale ten times the size of the average merperson drop down on top of their homes. Jawn swam up to them and helped push, shouting at those who were in contact to try not to touch the whale. He quickly instructed them when they faltered and eventually they managed to drift it down just on the edge of their fields. With any luck they wouldn’t lose too much, but for now he shouted at all of them to make sure they didn’t eat anything nearby the corpse. 

“Jawn,” A frightened voice called, “I touched the oil and… my skin is… it’s _cold!_ ”

“Go see Sh’lck,” Jawn urged, “That goes for the rest of you. Whoever gets injured or sick, go to doctor Sh’lck right away. He has an antidote.”

“My mate told me there’s a sickness from the oil!” A frightened young man called out.

“Sh’lck has an antidote. Go to him. _Now_ ,” Jawn shouted. The frightened young man sped off, clutching his arms close to his chest and swimming awkwardly enough to have trouble negotiating the entrance to Sh’lck’s cave.

More shadows from above. Jawn stared up in horror as the remainder of the pod came swimming down after the dying whale. The whale’s mate was outraged to see the treatment of him, but Jawn calmed her down. He was going and going fast, in horrible pain. With the mate’s permission Jawn approached him with comforting words and slit a vein to bleed him. The sharks would come of course, but there was no controlling them. Even their trainers couldn’t keep them from a meal _this_ big and bleeding freely. 

Jawn gave himself a quick once-over and found a cold patch on his chest. He’d gotten some of the oil on him. It wasn’t very visible so perhaps it wasn’t bad? He’d leave it for now. The whales needed his attention more at the moment. He reported to his commander, a burly lady by the name of Sh’lto who was happy to dispense him off on another task. She didn’t even ask him how he’d known about the oil or the cure. She just took the credit for herself when My!roph asked what had gone down. 

_ The irony that she’s reporting to a male what a male’s done but taking the credit for herself. I suppose if I’d gone into office or taken a domestic type of job like a respectable male she’d treat me better.  _ _ _

Jawn continued on his way and by the time his shift was over something extraordinary had happened. Another pod had contacted them. Pods never got together except to discuss politics! Even intermere mating only ever happened on neutral territory with the young ones frolicking amongst the coral together during their season. Whoever went home with someone else wasn’t sought out again, though they were allowed contact with their family. A prominent family mingling done in this way _might_ lead to two meres merging, but usually that only happened with small pods. 

The mere in question was their nearest neighbours, but Jawn had never met the leader of their Hunter force before, only the lower echelons. Now Sh’lto was panicking because it turned out their Hunter division leader was _male!_ Jawn was dragged forward out of the murky blue and pushed towards him with a whisper of instructions.

“He doesn’t like how my girls are acting, says they’re disrespectful. We _need_ their help. Suck up to him. Suck him off if you have to, just get him working with us!”

Jawn was practically shoved into the silver merman’s arms, blushing furiously as they reoriented their limbs. Jawn gave him a glance over and blushed the harder. He had a shark tail! He’d met all of one other mereperson had such a shape and colour to her and she had been one of the most vicious fighters he’d ever met. She’d even sharpened her teeth to points the better to kill without weapons. 

“Oh, wow, ummm,” Jawn stammered.

“Alright, deary?” The man smiled, his eyes dancing merrily. He didn’t _look_ vicious and cruel.

“Yes, just… a bit startling all this… bloody hell, I’ve no idea how to act around you. Do I treat you like a man or a woman?”

The man threw his head back and laughed, clapping Jawn on the shoulder, “Somewhere in between will do love, somewhere in between! Now tell me what this mess is. We could hear the whale’s keening from our nets!”

Jawn quickly explained the situation, ducking his head the way he would around women while meeting his eyes the way he would a man. The charming and powerful merman’s name was LeStrade and he was respected by his female hunters in a way Jawn could only dream of. He found himself doing just that in a flat second, fantasizing about being part of a pod that treated him for his worth as an individual rather than as a pathetic male. When their plight was explained the sturdy male had a great deal of compassion for them, and a few good ideas on how to survive this incident. He also was _very_ interested in Sh’lck’s cure. Jawn immediately referred him to Sh’lck and My!roph. 

XXX

Sh’lck was no stranger to jealousy, but he _was_ a complete stranger to seeing Jawn flirting with someone so sincerely. Normally he flirted for clear reasons- to get sex or to get his way when a particularly prejudiced female was giving him trouble- but this time he was clearly starfish-eyed over a _male_! He stared at him as if he were the moon that shifted the tides and Sh’lck was fit to puke all over his waiting room. 

_ That’s what you get for letting yourself hope,  _ Sh’lck scolded himself, _He’s already over you._

Then Molly swam by in her mask and everyone stared at her in confusion. She headed straight for Sh’lck and he awkwardly introduced her as the lone merwoman courting him. My!roph gave her a suspicious look and then dismissed her with ease, focusing on the attractive silver-haired and finned commander from the other pod. The way he looked at him had Sh’lck wondering if a pod merger was possible for two gigantic meres like theirs. Then again maybe My!roph would make life bearable for him by leaving and living in _that_ pod. Sh’lck smiled at Molly, leaning over to whisper that delectable fact into her ear. She giggled beneath her mask and Sh’lck chuckled as well. Then he glanced over at Jawn who was staring murderously at Molly. He flicked his tail and came up straight in her face, the fins along Jawn’s back were flexing aggressively and Sh’lck felt his rod make an attempt at emerging from his slit. 

“I want to make this perfectly clear,” Jawn hissed, “I’m giving you breathing room _only_ because there’s an emergency going on right now. Sh’lck will be _my_ mate.”

Jawn moved away so suddenly that Molly was knocked back a bit by the concussion created by his snapping tail. Sh’lck watched him leave with hungry eyes while Molly shifted uncomfortably and tried to look as strong as she was supposed to be pretending to be. The mask helped her facade for those who weren’t schooled in reading others as well as Sh’lck and My!roph. Sh’lck was surprised to see a few males nearby giving him considering looks. Apparently having two powerful merfolk fight over you made you more attractive. Sh’lck tucked a long strand of curly hair behind his ear and flipped away to deal with his patients, but then a thought crossed his mind and he quickly headed for the door. 

“Jawn! Come back here!” He shouted.

A quick swish of fins had the merman returning in a trice, smiling warmly, “Do you need my help? I have our octopus playing Pebbles in my cave, but I can bring him here. Or maybe I can get you something to eat while you work?”

“You can wrap yourself up in a net on that exam table,” Sh’lck replied, “I’m assuming you’re injured unless you can prove otherwise.”

“What? But I’m fine,” Jawn stammered, blushing in humiliation as the male defenders being treated around him snickered, “Really I’m…”

“Shut up,” Sh’lck snapped, “I’m aware of your ridiculous attempts to seem feminine by leaving your injuries untreated in an effort to appear brave. Then again I suppose bravery is by far the nicest term for stupidity. You can speed this up by telling me where you’re hurt.”

Jawn sighed and slipped into the netting, “My chest.”

“Indeed,” Sh’lck replied, studying him curiously, “More poisoning, but without a wound it being close to your heart is negligible. I’ve not enough tea to treat everyone. Yours is minor. You’ll keep until I can make more, besides you had some not long ago.” 

That being said he had Jawn dragged into his lab so he could administer the wash on dry land, the better to stop it being diluted by the water around them since they only had a small amount. As soon as he slick was cleaned off of him he felt monumentally better and told Sh’lck as much. The merman gave him a superior smirk that Jawn _longed_ to kiss off his lips, but he was already moving on to his next patient. Sh’lck left Jawn with a shouted instruction to tell him if he began to feel sicker and Jawn left in a hurry. When he returned it was to find Sh’lck completely distracted by treating his patients, so much so that he had no idea that Jawn had moved three nets and a chest full of things into his home until late in the evening. 

By then his patients had all been cleaned up and Korra had swam off to collapse somewhere and sleep. Sh’lck wasn’t far behind and he drifted slowly into his bedroom to find Jawn hanging up a net.

“Wha’ you doin?” Sh’lck asked, his voice slurred with exhaustion.

“I thought it would be a bit presumptuous to sleep in your net,” Jawn informed him. 

“Mph,” Sh’lck grunted.

“Can I get you something to eat?”

“Mph.”

“You really _should_ eat. You’ll fall ill yourself.”

“Pantry,” Sh’lck muttered, waving his hand towards the entrance of his bedroom, “Anything.”

Jawn swam off in a hurry and returned with a bit of kelp and some molluscs. He cracked them open one by one, wrapped them in kelp, and fed them to the barely conscious merman as he lay draped dramatically in his netting. Once he stopped accepting the morsels from Jawn’s fingers the Hunter wrapped him more securely, pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, and left him to sleep. Jawn slipped into his own net, too tired to do more than give Sh’lck a longing glance before letting himself fall asleep as well. 

Jawn woke to having something sticky wrap around his neck. He jolted awake in alarm.

“Watch the ‘splash’,” Sh’lck snapped, “I’ve got work to do.”

Jawn stared down at the octopus. It glared at him and then bit his finger. 

“Ow! Cheeky bastard.” 

Jawn swam out into the living area and found Sh’lck tossing a hurried breakfast into his mouth before snatching up a few corked bottles and hurrying into his working area. Jawn quickly got the octopus some food and tossed him into their bedroom with enough toys to amuse him for hours. Hopefully. Then he hurriedly reported to work himself. He could only hope the octopus didn’t escape. He’d originally intended to take some time off to devote to courting Sh’lck by training the naughty little cephalopod with him, but with a disaster on their waves he had little choice. Preferably he would have entrusted the eight-limbed terror to a sitter, but that same disaster left everyone available watching _actual_ splashes, with no time for surrogate pups. 

LeStrade was there, ordering his women around with finesse that left Jawn drooling for that kind of confidence and respect. He watched for a bit while his own division leader made a short speech on sororitization, respect, and sexism, and then sent them off to work with the others. The sharks had indeed made fast work of the whale and his remains had bloated enough to float up once again. That left their polluted kelp beds to be cleaned out, including the removal of a few stray bones. The defenders were hard at work while the hunters stood guard since the disaster was bound to bring predators in by the droves, more than could be handled by the overworked defenders. 

Just as Jawn was making his third lap a disoriented shark came careening through the area. He launched forward and made quick work of it, noting the glaze of oil across it’s eyes and gumming up it’s gills.

_ The poor thing. Killing it was a mercy _ . 

Jawn shoved it aside and then paused in horror. An unmistakable purple gleam had caught his eye. Sh’lck was swimming up towards the surface with bags slung over his shoulders and those ugly gloves he’d made on his hands. Jawn knew in an instant what he was planning and chased after him despite his squad leader’s shouts to return.

“Sh’lck! You can’t! You’ll be poisoned!” 

“Someone has to get proper samples so I can get a more productive cure made and… _ow!_ ” 

Jawn had snatched his tail by his caudal fin and pulled hard, an action that hurt and stilled a merperson instantly. Sh’lck glared down at him.

“I’ll do it. Instruct me and I’ll get your samples.”

“You? You’re an adrenaline junky. I can’t trust you to do this, you’ll get yourself killed.”

“Then at least let me help, but for the love of the tides _don’t do this alone_ ,” Jawn pleaded.

Sh’lck studied him for a moment and then nodded.

“The stuff stays mostly to the surface,” Sh’lck instructed as they swam, “We need to get to the edge of it so we don’t poison ourselves. From there we can…”

Sh’lck stopped and froze, staring in alarm at the sight of something odd on the surface of the water. They could see where the oil was, it’s slimy substance creating rainbow prisms from the sunlight that were sure to lure curious sea creatures to their deaths. However, just on the edge of that was an odd device being pushed by a boat. It appeared to be a big, long tentacle, but it didn’t move like one. It took a while for Jawn to realize what he was seeing.

“They’re cleaning up the oil!” Jawn gasped, “Hurrah! We’re saved!”

Sh’lck snorted, “I suspect they’re the source of it, so I wouldn’t celebrate too much. They’re at least attempting to take responsibility, but what of the creatures harmed thus far?”

They swam along, looking for an area that wasn’t overly occupied, but there was no way to get near the edge of the oil without the humans seeing them. They were everywhere, and as they watched the strange bipeds plucked drowning birds and suffocating marine life out of the water. Finally Sh’lck suggested they try the more dangerous route of getting some smeared stones from the shore. They headed towards it with Jawn’s stomach twisting in worry, but the humans were there as well, even on areas previously unoccupied! Jawn found a clean patch of water and surfaced while Sh’lck fretted beneath the waves. He used some kelp to hide himself, telling Sh’lck he did this all the time, and only let the top of his head and eyes reach the surface. Then he slid back down to report what he’d seen to Sh’lck.

“They’ve got the birds on the shore. They’re scrubbing them down with some sort of solution.”

“It might be more effective than mine,” Sh’lck decided, “Since they’re more aware of what we’re dealing with than we are it’s likely they developed a cure around the same time they developed the poison.”

“Right. I’ll nip up and steal some.”

“Are you _mad_?” Sh’lck asked.

“I have to, we need it to survive! Some of the men down there are getting worse!”

“I know that,” Sh’lck replied, “But we can’t just…”

Sh’lck grinned and gave Jawn a tight hug, “I’ve got it! I’ll go, you stay here and mind my things.”

“What? Now whose mad?!”

“I speak human!” Sh’lck chuckled, “I’m a polyglot. I’ll swim ashore, let my tail dry, and walk to them. I’ll demand they give me a cure, showing them the oil I’ll have gotten on me, and get enough for everyone!”

“What about wrappings? They always wear things on their bodies.”

“I’ll say I abandoned them due to the oil. Just stay here.”

Jawn watched Sh’lck swim a bit aways and then stubbornly followed him. When Sh’lck slid ashore Jawn found another inlet and did the same. They both waited to dry, Sh’lck making a ruckous as he got bored of waiting. Finally the sun did its work and they both stood on wobbly legs. Sh’lck staggered a bit, unused to walking at this altitude, but quickly managed it and headed for where some odd looking structures had been set up for the humans to wash the birds; there was no sign of the marine life they’d been ‘rescuing’. Jawn followed at a distance, worried for Sh’lck’s safety and hefting his spear in one hand. He’d fight them all off if he had to, but he knew the wisdom of letting Sh’lck handle this for now. When the attractive young merman got close enough he began shouting and gesturing about. The humans were all wearing odd wrappings over their usual ones, these all matched and seemed to denote some sort of official status. Sh’lck was led to one who sat behind a sort of rock structure and gave orders to the rest. Sh’lck continued to wave his arms about and shout at the man in that strange, human language, and was soon seated on a table being scrubbed down by one of the lesser humans. They did _not_ give him a container of the scrub. Sh’lck was undeterred. He pointed to the animals and forced out some tears until the workers handed him one of the bright coloured ‘official wraps’ along with some normal wrappings for him to wear. Sh’lck set to work scrubbing a bird clean, and when he had the poor thing salvaged he plucked it up along with a bottle and headed back towards where Jawn waited. He was grinning widely. No one even noticed him leave. Probably they couldn’t tell each other apart in all the matching wrappings, though how anyone could mistake Sh’lck for anything less than an ethereal creature Jawn had no idea. 

Sh’lck rounded the rocks and scowled at Jawn.

“I _told_ you to stay in the water!”

“No way in hell I’m leaving you alone,” Jawn hissed.

“Now you’ve oil on you too,” Sh’lck sighed, “I’ll have to clean you as well, that will waste some of this!”

“Save it then,” Jawn scowled, “I’m not looking to be coddled.”

“I’m not looking to have my future mate dead!” Sh’lck snapped.

Jawn blushed furiously, his traitorous cock taking interest in the conversation as his body recollected that it was on land where he usually spent some time getting off with someone. Sh’lck blushed as he noticed Jawn’s arousal and then nodded for him to follow him. He dropped the disgruntled bird along the way, telling it to pass the word along that this area was unsafe for the time being. The creature gave him a disdainful look and fluttered off. 

They reached a small pool that was mostly separated from the sea due to the tide going out and Jawn was told to slip into it. He did so with a relaxed sigh and Sh’lck added the chemical he’d gotten from the humans to it and scrubbed Jawn up. His body had _no_ idea this was meant to be medical and Jawn was soon panting with desire, his cock thrusting lightly into the water as it sought out something warm to bury itself in. 

“Poseidon, but you drive me mad!” Jawn gasped, “How do you do this to me?”

“You’re incorrigible,” Sh’lck snapped, pretending to be irritated. It wasn’t effective. Jawn could see his own pink-headed cock hard between his thighs. 

Jawn eased out of the pool and Sh’lck helped him shimmy towards the ocean proper, both of them sighing in relief as they sank into the water. 

“I like you better like this,” Jawn said softly, “your tail is such a lovely dark purple. Almost black. Mine is such a boyish colour that I’m teased about it endlessly. I’ve contemplated tattooing.”

“Don’t you dare!” Sh’lck snapped, “It’s the colour of the inside of the conch you gave me! I’ll never forgive you if you change it!”

Jawn smiled sunshine at Sh’lck at that, causing the flustered merman to blush and look away shyly. Jawn took advantage of his distraction to pull him closer and Sh’lck sprawled across his body with a startled shout. Jawn guided Sh’lck’s lips to his for a warm kiss. For a moment they were lost to the glide of lips together, but just when Jawn was becoming heatedly aroused again Sh’lck pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” Jawn asked, “I’m fine bottoming, I told you I was. Just…”

“It’s not that. There are people _dying_ in the waves beneath us.”

“I’m sorry,” Jawn replied, “I got caught up. I was just so glad to have you alone without _Korra’s_ scent lingering about.”

“About Korra… she brought me a mantis shrimp.”

“I brought you a pet first!” Jawn raged, his arousal well and truly gone, “She has to wait her turn!”

“I know. I told her to keep it until…”

Sh’lck didn’t finish and Jawn remained silent as well, staring sadly at him with the waves lapping at their hips. The next step was a waiting period. If Jawn couldn’t prove he was mate material by the time two weeks had passed than Sh’lck would kick him and his pet out… and move Korra in.

“Forgive me?” Jawn pleaded, “I’ve just never felt this way about someone before. I wasn’t thinking straight. Your patients come first. Of _course_ they do.”

“The Work is my _life_ , Jawn,” Sh’lck replied miserably.

“I know it is. That’s part of what I love about you; your gorgeous mind. I can wait for your body for as long as it takes.”

Sh’lck nodded they started timing the waves to move them back out to sea. When they were finally beneath the waves Jawn grasped Sh’lck’s hand and the merman didn’t make him let go, even after they’d reached their mere’s territory. They swam up into his office and Sh’lck gave Jawn a shy kiss on the cheek before hurrying off to his patients. 

XXX

Sh’lck worked himself until his powerful brain was barely functioning due to his body’s exhaustion. At some point Molly had forced food on him and then had a screaming match with Jawn when the man returned an hour later with the same intention. She was angry at him for not being there sooner, but Jawn was just angry at ‘Korra’ for being there _at all_. 

“How are you expecting to mate him if you aren’t taking proper care of him?” Molly raged to Sh’lck’s shock, “He’d not eaten in eight hours, and you show up _now_ hoping to feed him? As if I’d let him go that long!”

“ _I_ was working. Earning _my_ keep in a mere! Unlike you, always hanging about! I’ve had enough of you. _I_ got him a pet first. _I_ made him a promise not to hunt you down. Ha! As if I’d have to! The second the oil is cleaned up prepare yourself Korra. I issue challenge. You’ll die before I’ll let you near Sh’lck!”

Molly gasped and sped off. To Jawn who only saw the skull mask she probably looked angry, but Sh’lck knew her well enough to know that she was terrified. Sh’lck turned back to his patient, intent on ignoring the angry merman. Then hands slid from his elbows down to his hands, gently pulling them from the wash he’d been using on his current patient.

“Go,” Jawn whispered in his ear, guiding his hands to pick up a towel and drying them off, “Go down to our chambers and sleep. I’ve seen what you do here enough to do it myself. Go rest, my love.”

“I… my patients…”

“Will be in worse danger if you aren’t functioning enough to deal with a _real_ issue. This fellow is just in need of a bath. I can handle that. _Go_.”

Sh’lck staggered to the pool that led out of his lab and into his pool and slipped into it, sighing in relief as the comfort of scales wrapped around his lower half once again. Jawn was right. He could certainly handle washing a few patients. Sh’lck had duplicated the serum he’d stolen from the humans easily and another batch was brewing. Sh’lck set his mental clock to go off in an hour so he could check on it and then hurried to his net to rest. His mind was filled with the sight of Jawn’s arousal pulsing in the hot sun, his pink scales shining and slick around his back entrance. He’d wanted so much in that moment to press into the man, but his own fantasy of feeling Jawn fill him… He’d hinted at Jawn that he’d wanted to top, but the truth was far from that. He wanted Jawn to pound into his body and fill him with pups. 

_ A challenge. This will be my last chance. _

XXX

As the days turned to weeks only the growing comraderey between LeStrade’s mere and My!roph’s kept them from starving to death as both mere’s worked together to keep the pods alive and well. Many marine animals had approached Sh’lck for healing so he was working endlessly. Jawn feared that his time living with Sh’lck would be over long before his challenge was accepted, and he’d barely had time with the busy healer to prove his worth, so finally he told Sh’lck he couldn’t wait any longer. Korra was still hanging around them and Jawn needed her gone. Immediately. Sh’lck gave him a sad look and then nodded his acceptance. 

“Tomorrow,” Sh’lck replied, “Most of my patients are doing well enough that I’ll be able to take a moment to myself and rest. I want to be awake for the challenge.”

“Fair enough,” Jawn replied, “I’ll inform Korra.”

“I will,” Sh’lck’s tone brooked no argument, “She’s my only friend, Jawn.”

“ _I’m_ your friend,” Jawn insisted, “And if she wants to be _only_ your friend she need only end the courtship. Or you can by accepting me.”

“Duly noted,” Sh’lck replied dryly, and hurried back to his insistent patients. 

That evening he left them in Andersen’s care, much to the shock of the rest of the mere, and swam away with Korra to address Jawn’s challenge. Jawn swam circles around their sleeping quarters, a mess of anxiety. Korra didn’t return with him, but Jawn’s hope that she was relinquishing her challenge was instantly dismissed. Sh’lck carried her mask. 

“I’m to put it on her tomorrow morning,” Sh’lck replied, “I won’t be present. I don’t want to see you two fighting. She says she’s ready to meet you head on.”

“Then she’ll have her opportunity tomorrow,” Jawn replied, and then was shocked to find himself with an armful of Sh’lck.

The slender man wrapped his arms around Jawn’s shoulders and snogged him hungrily while Jawn grasped his bottom and tugged him close. Remembering the merman’s insistence that he wanted nothing to do with being pregnant he immediately shifted his hands to grasp one of Sh’lck’s wrists. He guided it down to his bottom, hoping to encourage Sh’lck to do more than kiss him. For a moment Sh’lck’s finger circled Jawn’s entrance and he shivered in desire, his erection slipping out of his mating slit and questing in the air. Then Sh’lck suddenly broke from his arms, drawing a groan of disappointment from Jawn until the flighty merman turned and pressed his back against Jawn’s chest. 

“Please…” Sh’lck whispered softly. 

Jawn’s arms wrapped around Sh’lck, his tail curving off to the left to start a mating spiral, and he stroked his hands along the merman’s chest and hips lovingly. Sh’lck shivered in his arms and Jawn kissed along his neck and the delicate light-purple fins that circled his ears. He moved lower and ran his tongue from top to bottom of each gill slit, leaving Sh’lck gasping and trembling. He was whispering Jawn’s name like a mantra by the time he found his way to Sh’lck’s back entrance and began to stroke and kiss the fluttering wet hole there.

“Jawn!” Sh’lck gasped as the first digit slid inside of him.

Jawn moved up and lapped and nipped at his neck, one arm solidly around his waist while the other guided a finger in and out of his body. He quickly slipped in a second and Sh’lck’s body clenched around him, shivering in impending orgasm. Jawn opened his eyes and glanced down at his shaft to see it thrusting wildly in the water. Sh’lck was close to climax even just from this. Part of Jawn wanted to gloat that it was obvious Korra hadn’t given him what he needed, but he kept his words down so he didn’t spoil the mood. Instead he decided that the foreplay was long over and drew in his aching member enough to line the tip up with Sh’lck’s wet, swollen entrance. 

“Jawn,” Sh’lck whispered, “Please!”

“As if you have to ask,” Jawn whispered.

 He slid in slowly, resisting the urge to spear him wildly. When Sh’lck’s body suddenly clenched he stopped a moment, sliding  back out, and then slowly filling him once again. Sh’lck’s head fell back against Jawn’s shoulder. Their motions had taken them close to the cave ceiling and Jawn guided Sh’lck’s hands up to brace against them since they didn’t have endless ocean space to mate in. 

“Next time I’ll take you out in the open ocean, Sh’lck,” Jawn whispered as his shaft slid free and then pressed back in, drawing a groan from them both, “The freedom, the power, as we dance towards the sun.”

Jawn’s words fell to moans and gasps as his mobile cock picked up speed, thrusting into Sh’lck’s hungry body over and again. Sh’lck writhed a bit, pressing against the ceiling in an attemp to press back on Jawn’s shaft all the more. Jawn carefully kept them lined up and continued to press into him. Sh’lck was close and Jawn had no intention of letting him come untouched even if it was a bit tempting. His climax would be far more satisfying with Jawn’s hand wrapped around him. With that decision made he reached down and grasped his member, listening as Sh’lck’s soft moans turned into passionate cries. His deep voice bounced around their little cavern and Jawn moaned in bliss at he sound of his pleasure. A moment later and Sh’lck’s cockhead swelled just before the glorious scent of his come filled the cavern. 

“Yes!” Jawn gasped, the smell bringing him to the brink in record time. His cock pulsed a moment and then stilled in side of Sh’lck, extended as far as the muscles inside could go. His bollocks were pressed hard against the base of his cock as his seed erupted into Sh’lck’s body. 

They drifted down once again, Sh’lck turning in Jawn’s arms to wrap his long limbs around his neck. Jawn held him tightly, pressing kisses to anywhere in reach. 

“A pity we can’t face each other,” Sh’lck mumbled, “I’d have loved to see your face when you climaxed.”

Jawn chuckled, “We can face each other. There are a few positions that works in.”

“Oh,” Sh’lck replied sleepily, “I wish I’d known. I’d have liked to see you that way.”

“Next time,” Jawn soothed, wrapping the netting around them.

“Won’t be a next time,” Sh’lck muttered, then drifted off while Jawn held him tightly in horror. 

_Not a next time? Is he so certain I’ll die tomorrow? Or was this some sort of goodbye? Will he flee with Korra? Or dismiss me tomorrow when my two weeks are up? Oh gods, Sh’lck why?!_ _  
_

[CHAPTER 7](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/187737.html)


	7. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 7

 

Sh’lck was gathering his supplies together for the challenge when LeStrade swam in and hovered annoyingly.

“Can I help you?” Sh’lck asked, more to get him to leave than because he wanted to help. 

“I was told you’re My!roph’s brother.”

“Yes. And?”

“He’s… fascinating.”

Sh’lck gave him an impatient glare, “So I’m told. _And_?”

“I understand you’re getting ready to have two courters face off over you.”

“If you’re entirely done stating the obvious?” Sh’lck asked, shooing him towards the door. 

“Oh! Sorry, it’s just I realize this is a bad time, so whenever you have some free time I’d like to speak to you about…”

“Yes, yes, be back this time next year,” Sh’lck snapped, shoving him out the doorway and swimming away to continue his preparations. It was incredibly awkward to fit himself with a pair of false breasts, but he’d expected this for some time and so Molly had made them for him. Add shark scent to that and the mask and he was a perfect copy for ‘Korra’. 

XXX

Jawn was unbearably handsome. He stood on his side of the challenge arena- which was really just the  [ ullamaliztli ](http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-ball-game.html) field- next to a rack of weapons. He was studying them silently, his entire focus on that task. As the challengee Sh’lck- aka Korra- would have first choice of weapons. If either of them were disarmed then the next weapon choice was a free for all. Sh’lck approached the arena in his mask and false chest with shells tying them in place. Poor Molly was tied up in her shark pen where someone would notice her before the end of the day, but she’d be too late to stop Sh’lck’s death at Jawn’s hands. This was the best way, he’d decided. He would go out with honour, defending his choice to stay single against a system that refused to allow men to dismiss courters, while also getting the chance to pit himself against Jawn. The latter seemed pointless if it weren’t for the fact that _any_ kind of contact with Jawn thrilled him. Once this mess was over Jawn would go back to his normal life, chasing tails onto land and defending their mere. His distraction with Sh’lck had cost him respect amongst the other Hunters and that couldn’t be allowed. His victory would restore the balance entirely. Sh’lck would go back to being a non-entity and Jawn would rise as he deserved. 

Sh’lck stepped forward and chose swords as a weapon. It was his best, being a defender, but he figured him having an advantage wasn’t going to harm anything. A crowd had gathered around them, including My!roph who was staring daggers at Sh’lck. He’d get over it.

Jawn advanced with the sword drawn and murder in his eyes, surprising Sh’lck with his forward attack. Jawn normally fought with speed and agility as a hunter, usually with throwing or long-reaching stabbing weapons, but swordplay in the water required strength to push your opponent back and knock them offguard. It was a defenders weapon, but Jawn was quickly proving that he hadn’t forgotten their childhood lessons. They pressed close, swords connecting and then pushing off. Jawn went into a spiral, but was quick to get under control. Sh’lck came at him fast and they were clashing together again, the rebound knocking each of them aside. It was quickly obvious that Jawn had more strength than Sh’lck while Sh’lck had the greater skill. If he had wanted to, he could best Jawn, but that wasn’t in the tides.

For another few minutes they clashed and then the fight simply drained out of Jawn. His weapon moved slower, his attempts to defend himself became feeble. Had Sh’lck been trying he could have killed Jawn several times over! He worriedly studied his beloved, but saw no injury. His expression was strained and sad. If he could have pulled of a female voice Sh’lck would have called a halt and claimed Jawn wasn’t fit to fight- that it besmirched is honour to continue to fight him. Sadly his deep voice wouldn’t allow him to continue the façade. He could whisper, though. So the next time he was close enough he did so.

“What are you doing? Fight me!” Sh’lck hissed.

“I’m not going to kill you, Sh’lck,” Jawn whispered sadly.

Sh’lck froze in alarm. He’d figured him out? How?! Sh’lck had Molly’s figure, the scent of sharks, and the mask!

“How?” Sh’lck asked, holding their crossed-sword pose in order to continue speaking to him.

“I’ve made love to that body, stared into those eyes. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice once my anger cooled off? If you wanted to protect Korra this much… just finish me off.”

“What? No!” Sh’lck pushed him off and the both floated in the water a few feet away from each other, swords lowered. 

“Go on,” Jawn insisted, “It’s kinder this way. I’d have wilted away watching you live out your life with her. Just end this, Sh’lck. Give me an honourable death.”

“No,” Sh’lck stammered, “No, you were supposed to kill _me_. It’s supposed to fix your reputation and restore the balance.”

“What balance? I’d never forgive myself,” Jawn shook his head miserably while the audience began to murmur about their impromptu hushed conversation, “Is it that hard for you to chose between us? Have us both! Anything but this!”

“Both?” Sh’lck asked, shocked to the core.

“I’d rather share you than lose you, Sh’lck. If your plan wasn’t to kill me than give me a chance. I’ll push my jealousy aside. I can be better than I’ve been. I’ll _be_ better. For you.”

Sh’lck’s sword dropped. Jawn meant it. He really meant for them to be together. For the rest of their lives. He was even willing to _share_ Sh’lck- taking the mockery that would come with that situation- than give him up forever! Jawn’s sword fell a moment later and he hovered there, waiting for Sh’lck’s decision. The referee came swimming over to ask them what was going on.

“I forfeit,” Jawn replied loudly before Sh’lck could get a response out, “I can’t kill this person.”

“No!” Sh’lck stammered as the women nearby began to laugh and jeer at him. Jawn’s reputation! “No, he doesn’t mean that!”

Sh’lck panicked as the rest of them took up a mocking chant, pulling his mask and prosthetics off to reveal himself to the shocked silence of the group of merpeople. Jawn waited patiently while Sh’lck cast about for an excuse or distraction.

“My!roph is sleeping with LeStrade!” Sh’lck blurted out.

“Sh’lck!” My!roph snapped angrily.

Sh’lck grabbed Jawn’s hand and swam off, pulling him behind him in a hurry. When he’d gotten him far enough into the kelp fields that they didn’t have to worry about being followed he turned to face him.

“You’ve ruined _everything_!” Sh’lck snarled.

“Everything being…?”

“You were supposed to be great!” Sh’lck ranted, “You were supposed to change rights for men everywhere! You were _supposed_ to be _popular!_ ”

“I am popular,” Jawn shrugged, “As popular as a male can get. Popularity doesn’t really mean very much.”

“To _you_ ,” Sh’lck snarled, “To me it was the difference between being tortured daily and being respected!”

“I’m not _respected_ ,” Jawn scoffed, “I’m treated with respect sometimes, but usually it’s only by those who like the things that make me popular. If they’re fans of ullamaliztli or if they support male’s rights, than I’m someone they treat well. Otherwise I’m just as liable to be scrutinized as you are. Hell, more people respect you than respect me because doctors are subject to respect regularly while I’m only popular when my team is winning, I’ve killed a threat, or my voice is heard.”

“That’s… that’s inaccurate,” Sh’lck replied.

“How so?” Jawn wondered.

“People are nice to you. They aren’t nice to me.”

Jawn smiled shyly, “Well, you’re really not very nice to _anyone_. I realize you got mocked in school, but people are maturing all around you. Maybe it’s your turn.”

“You’re joking,” Sh’lck groused, “Don’t you get it? You mocking me in school _is_ why you became popular. Therefore you killing me- who everyone hates- should make things better for you. You’ll have a fantastic life!”

“I don’t even know where to start with how wrong that is,” Jawn stammered, “Sh’lck you shouldn’t be wanting to _die_ to make me more popular!”

“That’s not true,” Sh’lck argued pathetically, “You’re… everything. I’ve been in love with you for years.”

“You have?” Jawn asked, his eyes lighting up, “Why haven’t you said anything? Why’ve you pushed me away? Because of Korra?”

“There _is_ no Korra. I shoved my friend Molly into a mask and told her to act tough,” Sh’lck shook his head with a self-depreciating smile, “In reality she’s as brave as a clownfish away from her anemone.” 

“Yet you love her…” Jawn sighed.

“No,” Sh’lck snorted, “We’re just friends. Sort of. She’s a good deal nicer to me than I am to her.”

“Maybe time to change that?” Jawn offered, holding a hand out. 

Sh’lck hesitated a moment and then wrapped his hand around Jawn’s. Their fingers twined and Jawn tugged him close.

“So no Korra? No need to share you?”

“None.”

“So you put me through all of this… why?”

“To protect myself,” Sh’lck replied, “No one likes me for long.”

“Except Molly and I. And maybe My!roph. He’s kinda hard to read.”

Sh’lck snorted, “You’ll hate me eventually too.”

“Don’t you think that’s _my_ call?”

Sh’lck stared down at their twined fingers for a moment and then shook his head, “I’m sorry, Jawn. I can’t do this. I’ve put up walls to protect myself and I’ve no intention of tearing them down. Have your things out of my cave by tonight. I’m done playing house.”

“No,” Jawn stammered, “You can’t. You can’t refuse the…”

“I can do whatever I damn well please,” Sh’lck snapped, “And your tradition be dashed on the rocks!”

Then Sh’lck swam away with a snap of his tail, leaving Jawn to stare after him in devastation.  

_ My Dearest Sh’lck: _ _ _

_ A life without you wouldn’t be fantastic and I never meant to mock you in school, nor did that make me popular. I can’t stress this enough: no one wants you dead- especially not me. Also not everyone is nice to me. A lot of my coworkers are jerks. They think they’re better than me even when they obviously aren’t. Or they think that just because they’re female they’ve got more ability than I have. Or if they ARE better than me then they hold it over my head and insist it’s because I’m a pathetic man, insulting my very existence. A few of them treat me like a sex object, and if I dare to actually enjoy myself and have sex than I’m demeaned for it. It might look like I’ve got a great thing going on, but I’m no one special, Sh’lck. My gilded cage is just a bit bigger than yours. _ _ _

_ Yours Forever,  
Jawn _

Sh’lck sighed and placed the slate on his shelf next to his shell-skull mask and both conch shells. 

“Well?” My!roph asked irritably.

“Shut up.”

“Are you suicidal?”

“No,” Sh’lck replied.

“ _Why_ won’t you take him as your mate, Sh’lck?” My!roph asked with a sigh.

“Why won’t _you_ take _LeStrade_ as one?” Sh’lck snapped back.

“He hasn’t courted me,” My!roph replied, his face blushing to match his tail.

“You’re both men,” Sh’lck snapped, “Why don’t _you_ court _him_.”

“I’m in a prominent position, it just isn’t done. I could be seen as coercing him.”

“Your excuses are pathetic.”

“At least _I_ have some!” My!roph snapped irritably, “Will you at least write him back?”

“No.”

“Stuborn fool!” My!roph raged, turning and swimming from Sh’lck’s home.

“And stay out!” Sh’lck shouted after him.

Except he didn’t. An hour later a very pale-faced My!roph returned with LeStrade on his tail. LeStrade looked angry and My!roph was frantic. 

“We have a problem,” My!roph told him, his voice trembling.

“What is it now?” Sh’lck replied, “Can’t you see I’m sulking?” 

“Some of the females are angry about the behavior of the males lately. They’re blaming men being ‘out of their proper place’ as the reason for the Black Oil.”

“Morons,” Sh’lck scoffed, “It’s the humans.”

“I _know_ that, but some of them see the humans as gods!” My!roph raged, “They believe this is punishment!”

“For what? A few men breaking the barriers between genders? Rediculous. Considering both men and women can birth or sire children the barriers are superficial!”

“Sh’lck. They want us to all go back to the _old ways_ ,” My!roph replied, “I’ve been deposed! Stripped of rank! My choice- and the choice of all men whether already married to a man or single- is to marry a female or _leave the mere!”  
_ __

[CHAPTER 8](http://vincentmeoblinn.dreamwidth.org/188821.html)


	8. vincentmeoblinn | Swish of a Fin Ch 8

_ A/N For the sake of my sanity ‘Father’ is for males and ‘Mother’ is for females regardless of who gave birth, but typically it is the males who give birth and rear the young in m/f pairings. Please don’t take this as a sign that my views on men, women, and parenthood titles are limited. They aren’t.  _ _ _

“So leave,” Sh’lck replied with a snort, “I’ll go with you.”

“You will?” My!roph asked in surprise.

“Either that or marry Molly,” Sh’lck frowned, “I’d rather go with you. I’ll fetch my things, you fetch the males. We’ll see how well they do without us.”

It took a few days, but eventually many men and a few women were gathered with their bags. Some with very young children were going with the men, but most were divided down the middle; A group of young girls stood by their mothers crying and waving farewell to their fathers. For a moment Sh’lck thought there was going to be all out war as the women angrily stood by to watch the men leave with children in tow and bags packed. Then the women started throwing jeers and snide comments at them and the men moved as one towards LeStrade’s mere. Silence reigned. Partway there they passed a cold and silent group of women swimming towards My!roph’s former mere. Two entire meres had just become nearly all one gender each. 

“What’s going to happen?” Jawn asked, swimming alongside My!roph and Sh’lck, “How will we survive? A few of the men here are capable of being Hunters, but most…”

“Will learn,” Sh’lck replied, “Those with young pups or who are pregnant will stay behind and defend as they always have. Those with adolescent splashes will learn to Hunt and Gather. It can’t be that hard. As I recall you were an even better Defender than you were Hunter/Gatherer. Surely if you can learn to excel in your lesser subject than so can the rest of us.”

“Well, yes,” Jawn replied, “You really paid that much attention to my grades?”

“Shut up,” Sh’lck grumbled, swimming faster. Jawn let him go. 

XXX

The caves had been stripped of personal things and food, but much had been left behind. They met up with the males from the Katoka mere- LeStrade’s pod’s official name- and found them to be outraged by the actions of the females. They apparently hadn’t fared as well as My!roph’s mere had (he refused to call it the Maxilla pod) and fighting had broken out. Sh’lck was immediately put to work patching up wounds. He grumbled angrily about the loss of his beloved laboratory and exam rooms, but the Healer here let him into his without a protest. The man’s name was Will-I-Am and he was surprisingly patient despite looking as if he could tie Sh’lck into a knot like a sick eel. After working together for a bit they settled into a quiet companionship. However Sh’lck had one mission that couldn’t wait until he’d had a break from the constant stress of the last few weeks; he had to return Jawn’s pet and officially break off their engagement. He headed there once the last critical patient had been dealt with.

“Nope,” Jawn stated when Sh’lck showed up at the caves he was now sharing with LeStrade.

“Sorry?” Sh’lck asked, “Last I checked I had told you to shove your traditions.”

“Then there’s no harm in you keeping the pet I gave you. I’m not going to stop courting you, Sh’lck. I’ll never stop. I won’t pester or harass you, but I’m going to love you until the day I die. If you ignore that it’s your loss. Have fun with Squidworth.”

“ _Squidworth?!_ ” Sh’lck asked in disgust, clutching the doubtless offended cephalopod to his chest, “His _name_ is _Vulgaris!”_ __

“You’re joking.”

“It’s part of his scientific name.”

“It sounds like _vulgar_.”

“As is your infatuation with me!” Sh’lck snapped, “Why can’t you just go back to ignoring me! It was perfect that way! Uncomplicated! _Quiet!_ ”

“You’re welcome to ignore _me_ ,” Jawn shrugged, “But I’m not going to ignore you. One thing before you start, though: What if you’re pregnant?”

Sh’lck paled. It was something he’d been worrying over. It was unlikely due to the season, but these things did happen sometimes. 

“It’s unlikely,” Sh’lck replied, but didn’t continue.

“Right, but in the unlikely event you _are_?”

“Mermen have been having babies for thousands of years,” Sh’lck shrugged, “And Will-I-Am is a competent doctor.”

“That’s a relief, especially coming from you. Now what about _the other father_?” 

Sh’lck squirmed uncomfortably and Vulgaris took that moment to climb up on his head and start playing with his hair. Jawn chuckled and gave him a tickle. Vulgaris- the traitor- grabbed his hand and tugged on it firmly.

“Well it’s good to know _someone_ misses me,” Jawn chuckled, “Let go Squidworth, Sh’lck has to go home sometime.”

“His name is _Vulgaris!_ ” 

“Sorry,” Jawn shrugged, “I’ll call him what I like. It’s not like we’re _lovers_ or anything. Unless… I can give you a kiss goodnight?”

“Absolutely not!” Sh’lck blushed, then pried Vulgaris free and swam off quickly with the pet clutched to his chest. 

Sh’lck swam back to Will-I-Am’s home and was promptly turned down for a place to live. 

“Sorry, mate,” Will huffed, “You’re kind of annoying.”

“I’m a _healer_.”

“And you’re welcome to use my clinic, but not to live here. I’ll kill you.”

“That would be _very_ ambitious of you,” Sh’lck snarled.

“I’m like that,” Will replied, and tugged the rock in front of his clinic mostly closed, leaving enough room for water flow.

Sh’lck swam around looking for a free cave, his parcels weighing him down since he’d dismissed the dolphin helping him move some time ago. Just when he was getting frustrated to the point of screaming his load suddenly became lighter. Sh’lck turned around in surprise and stared at Jawn. He looked tired and sad.

“Just ignore me, yeah?” Jawn replied, “I’ll not bother you. I just want to help.”

Jawn hefted a few of his sacks and gave him that sad smile, the one that he reserved for when someone he knew passed away, and a part of Sh’lck ached inside. Sh’lck nodded and turned to continue his search. Finally he found an old, crumbly, and rather filthy cave that was unoccupied. All the others had been settled for some time as he’d been working for the last several hours. 

The walls weren’t sturdy enough to hold a net so Sh’lck and Jawn moved a rock mostly closed so he could sleep without fear of drifting out into the waters outside. Sh’lck peered at him through the remaining gap where Jawn gave him that sad smile again.

“Goodnight Sh’lck,” Jawn whispered softly.

“G’night,” Sh’lck yawned and curled up in the sand to sleep as best he could without the comfort of a net to wrap around him. Or arms. Aside from Vulgaris’ arms, of course, but he didn’t really count. Still, the pet stayed close all night and it did give Sh’lck some comfort.

XXX

Sh’lck woke up sore from a night of unconsciously holding himself in a stable position since he didn’t have a net to control his drifting in the currents. He was grouchy and miserable. He swam outside to find most people gathered around Jawn, LeStrade, My!roph, and Sholto. They were all discussing the best way to run their little makeshift pod. Sh’lck winced at the sound of children crying for their absent parents, their remaining ones holding them tight and looking as if they were already regretting their decisions. Jawn was asking everyone to swim up to a slate he’d set up scratch their name under a skill set or two. Sh’lck hurried up to healer and then, completely on a whim, scratched it under ‘childcare’ as well. What would it hurt to mind the children for a bit? The more who did the more others would be freed up for tasks they excelled at. Sh’lck wasn’t even aware that he was touching his abdomen as he swam off, but Jawn saw it and gave him a miserable stare of longing. 

Sh’lck had cared for children before, of course; it was a standard part of Defender training. Therefore he wasn’t at _all_ prepared for how overwhelming it could be. He struggled to entertain them, contain them, and even to protect them when a female wandered in with the intent of abducting her male child. Sh’lck and the others chased her off but it was a near thing. Her male parent came back from his first foray into hunting and thanked them profusely.

“Vulgaris was a hit,” Sh’lck told the parent, wondering at his alarmed look when he stared down at the octopus.

“Vulgaris?”

“It’s the scientific name for Common Octopus.”

“Right,” The man replied, scooping up his child and hurrying away. 

Jawn chuckled at his awkwardness and watched as everyone turned in for the night. My!roph hurried over and asked how things had gone with the Defenders turned Hunters.

“We scared off more prey than we caught, but we did bring home enough for everyone. The foraging went better once we reminded everyone which plants were poisonous. I brought some herbs back for Sh’lck, would you mind giving them to him?”

“He still won’t speak with you?” My!roph worried.

“No,” Jawn replied sadly, “I’ve not given up, but I won’t harass him.”

“I’ll see he gets them,” My!roph replied. Sh’lck watched his brother swim over with the bundle and accepted the sack, “This is _childish_.”

“You’re childish,” Sh’lck grumbled.

“For pities sake, at least _try_ sex. It’s not half as terrifying as you think. You _might_ actually like it!”

“Sex doesn’t terrify me,” Sh’lck scoffed, but didn’t finish the sentence until My!roph had swum away in a huff, “Love does.”

XXX

Sh’lck couldn’t take it anymore. He was depressed, bored, and ready to swim into the nearest propeller. He _needed_ something; he just didn’t know what it was he needed. He swam in circles in his tiny, dingy cave and Vulgaris played in the currents, but it wasn’t enough to see the octopus amused. There was a soft scratch at his cave door and he bolted for it, hoping to find Mollusk on the other side. It wasn’t Molly. It was LeStrade.

“I know you said next year, but I rather thought you were joking.”

“Eat oil and die,” Sh’lck replied, starting to push the rock back in place.

“I want permission to court your brother.”

“I suggest you get it from him.”

“He’s old fashioned,” LeStrade stopped his progress, “He wants your approval as his surviving family.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“What part of ‘eat oil and die’ did you miss?”

“I’m not as timid as Jawn is, I’ll drive you crazy if you don’t.”

“If you’re going to do that why not just lie and tell him I gave you permission?”

“Because you’ll tell him otherwise.”

“I’ll do no such thing. I could care less. I despise him.”

“Then you’re giving me permission?”

“No, I’m telling you to go bother him instead of me!”

“Well while I’m doing that my cave will be empty except for Jawn.”

“Good. I hope he makes a mess of it!”

“Or you could _both_ make a mess of it,” LeStrade winked lewdly and then released the rock Sh’lck had been tugging on. He swore loudly as it swung to and pinched his fingers. 

“Damn it all to desert!” Sh’lck howled, rubbing at his sore digits, “I’m tired of everyone telling me to go get laid! I do _not_ need sex! I need my life to go back to _normal!_ ”

Even the octopus didn’t look convinced. Sh’lck considered it for a moment and then swam off to take LeStrade’s suggestion. He scratched at the rock, and then rapped at it when no one answered. Jawn pushed it aside and stared at Sh’lck in shock as he pulled him out into the dark waters.

“You don’t speak of this to _anyone_ ,” Sh’lck growled.

“Never,” Jawn whispered as Sh’lck swam hurriedly towards the fields. Once there they pressed close, their bodies moving together instinctively in a mating spiral. The fields were a symbol of fertility and ongoing life for each mere and it wasn’t unusual to see many couples spinning slowly upwards day or night, though many chose to mate inside the safety of their own caves. Sh’lck found the chill of the night water set the mood for their rendezvous. 

Sh’lck clutched at Jawn’s hair, tugging him close for a hungry kiss. The merman moaned softly into his mouth, hands sliding along his hips gently as they coaxed his body closer. Jawn was panting in desire by the time their lips parted and Sh’lck wasn’t much better off. Fingers slid down to stroke inside of his mating slit, teasing his partially emerged erection to fully thrust out of his body. Sh’lck gasped as Jawn slipped down, continuing their slow swimming motions instinctively, and lapped at his mating slit. His fingers reached inside to stroke Sh’lck’s sensitive bollocks while his tongue held itself out for his cock to thrust against. Sh’lck cried out and clutched at his hair, losing their motions a bit, but Jawn merely compromised for his convulsing body. Then he climbed up Sh’lck again and tugged his hand down to stroke Jawn’s throbbing shaft. Sh’lck’s eyes widened at the slick feel of all that hard flesh and the thick bone it grew around. Jawn’s head fell back and he groaned in anticipation, his cock speeding up its eager thrusts at the feel of the friction they craved. 

“Jawn,” Sh’lck purred, tugging him close, “That position you mentioned?”

Jawn nodded, prying his eyes open and giving his retreating hand a forlorn look. He tugged Sh’lck into his lap, moving his tail as if he were sitting on a rock. Sh’lck found his damp entrance stroked with Jawn’s thick fingers, gasping as they plunged into his body. 

“Either like this,” Jawn whispered softly, “Or we can turn more and line up with me wrapped around you. My length is… sort of an issue with that one.”

Sh’lck glanced down at the cock still lazily thrusting against his hip, “Somehow I doubt someone larger would interest me. It wouldn’t fit.”

Jawn chuckled, “Not _that_ length. My whole body length.”

“Ah,” Sh’lck replied, “Yes, it would place your head around my sternum.”

Fingers pressed deeply into Sh’lck’s distracted body and he gasped, wriggling back on them eagerly. It threw off their motions again, but once more Jawn compensated for him. 

“I want to wrap myself around you like a human’s clothes,” Jawn purred.

“Yes,” Sh’lck gasped.

Jawn manoeuvred their bodies, lining them up with his head nuzzling Sh’lck’s sternum while he wrapped around him like seaweed. 

“So flexible,” Sh’lck praised, stroking his hair. 

Jawn groaned as he struggled to slow down his cock’s hungry thrusts, but once he had he pressed it against Sh’lck’s entrance and slid inside of him in one go. Sh’lck gasped, wriggling back eagerly, and Jawn’s cock instantly took up a frantic pace. Jawn pressed him harder against his lap and their spiral resumed, a slow turn that had them raising up in a shaft of moonlight so dimmed by the dark sea that only the seas occupants could pick it up. A few stray fish wandered by, one commenting softly on their beauty. They couldn’t spare them a glance. Sh’lck was lost to the pleasure of the thick, glossy shaft sliding into his body. Sh’lck’s own hard length pressed between their bodies, fucking the soft curve between Jawn’s shoulder and chest. Their movements sped up but Sh’lck slowed them, his arms clutching Jawn’s face tightly against him. He raised his head to stare up at Sh’lck, eyes filled with emotions that frightened and excited Sh’lck. His mouth fell open and he let out a soft cry against Sh’lck’s body, his tone anxious.

“Jawn?” Sh’lck gasped.

“P-please…” Jawn cried out, “I can’t…”

Sh’lck opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but Jawn settled it by erupting inside of him with a desperate sound. Their spiral stilled, Sh’lck’s tail still trying to continue the motions. He was both disappointed and thrilled- just look how he’d affected the more experienced man! Jawn was gasping and trembling against him, but before Sh’lck could push him away and hurry back to his lonely cave and cranky octopus Jawn let out a heated growl.

“You beautiful, _maddening_ merman,” Jawn snarled, pulling himself up Sh’lck’s body once again. 

Jawn placed himself in Sh’lck’s lap this time, the dark haired merman surprised at his body’s instant reaction as it sought out his entrance. Jawn groaned in bliss as he impaled himself on Sh’lck’s frantically working cock. It wasn’t the slow, tender glide in he had twice given Sh’lck and the healer could see the pain flicker across Jawn’s face before pleasure took it over. 

“Tight!” Sh’lck gasped out, clutching him tightly as the creature rode him side-saddle. 

“Mph, yeah,” Jawn panted, his arms around Sh’lck’s neck.

The spiral was left to Sh’lck this time, and he found himself moving faster as his cock plunged into his lover fast and hard. Jawn’s fingers tangled in his hair and tugged at his curls painfully. He _loved_ it, gasping and growling as his shaft worked hard inside Jawn’s body. His lover reached down with one hand, pressing his face against Sh’lck’s chest so he could reach Sh’lck’s back entrance. Sh’lck cried out in pleasure as he pressed digits inside of him and stimulated that organ inside his body that drove him wild. He doubted Jawn was enjoying this position, but the way he moaned his name made him changed his mind. Sh’lck was reaching climax so fast it left him gasping, his body arching in pleasure as his tail flicked and his cock throbbed. Over and again he speared his lover while Jawn’s body leaned against his in surrender. Then he was jumping the waves, both literally and figuratively. Their heads broke the surface, waves spraying their faces just as Sh’lck’s cock pulsed out his pleasure. He was glad the air around him muffled his cries because he screamed out his release loudly enough the nearby caves would have heard it. He clutched Jawn tightly, his fingers digging into his flesh, as his cock gave a few more frantic thrusts to draw out their pleasure.

“Sh’lck,” Jawn breathed, “So beautiful.”

The hand clutching his curls now stroked them lovingly and Sh’lck’s fears returned in full. He pulled away from Jawn’s body, his cock sliding back inside as if it too were frightened. Jawn’s body was still alive with desire as they sank back beneath the waves; his satisfied member still fully emerged though thinner as the blood left it. Sh’lck watched anxiously as it slowly slid back into his body.

“You’ll see it again,” Jawn teased, “Anytime you want, really.”

“Then you’ll allow this?” Sherlock asked, his insecurity building. Would John be disgusted by his lustful display twice in a row?

“Always,” John promised.

They were about six feet beneath the waves and the roar of the surf was diminishing, soon their conversation would be able to be overheard by prying ears. Sh’lck shivered at the potential for humiliation and turned away from Jawn.

“Soon,” Sh’lck promised before flitting away. 

He didn’t look back to see Jawn’s body slowly moving down into the kelp beds below where he sat silently for well over an hour crying softly to himself. LeStrade found him on his way back from My!roph and his first attempts at courting the stubborn man. He’d gone through four conch shells before he’d dubbed one acceptable and taken it. Once LeStrade located the depressed pink merman he tugged him back to his cave and tucked him into his netting. A fatherly kiss on the temple was all the comfort he could give. 

“They’re really something, yeah?” LeStrade replied with a sigh, “We’re both in trouble.”

Jawn nodded miserably and let his eyes fall closed. His exhaustion was so much that he was asleep instantly so LeStrade swam out to give him peace. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Jawn had been raised to work hard and work eternally. He was never to rest without the permission of the women around him. When Jawn fell into a deep depression during a challenging part of the lives of their new mere no one noticed. In a society that thrived on communal contact and constant socializing it was difficult to hide anything, but much in the way Sh’lck had hidden in a crowd, now Jawn did as well. Both had done so unconsciously, but such is the nature of mental illness. Jawn began to isolate himself, going about his duties but listing away from the casual contact of his podmates. His mere noted his insecurity about touch and began giving him more space, some bitterly and others with understanding. Several of the men around them were despondent over their separation from their mates and the deep-seated betrayal of the women who had decided they had a right to control their bodies and suppress their minds. Jawn wasn’t alone in his misery, but his source was far more complex than the loss of a mate. Jawn’s depression was rooted in Sh’lck’s mixed signals.

Sh’lck both wanted and rejected Jawn. He loved and lusted after him, but feared the expected abuse he’d grown up with. Sh’lck kept telling himself that he’d stop. That he wouldn’t call Jawn to his side to bed him, hold him tightly for an hour or so, and then send him packing. He was aware that Jawn smelled sad more often than not, but he didn’t relate it to his actions. Everyone was struggling at the moment, so it wasn’t as if the scent were uncommon. Sh’lck figured that if anything Jawn was getting what he wanted: a hot body to fuck.

Sh’lck was also considering a possible future in the mix. He hoped that in time he’d become pregnant and a permanent tie to Jawn, one he couldn’t break once he realized what a berk Sh’lck was, would be created. Sh’lck knew this was a cruel choice of marriage technique and had often scolded others who had come to him looking to increase their fertility choices outside of the season. Using a child to get a mate only insured a bitter marriage, but Sh’lck could see no kindness in the world. He expected only hatred from Jawn in the future, so to have a child who might love him by obligation alone was a craving he could not deny… even at the expense of his own and Jawn’s happiness.

My!roph was intensely disgusted by him, but also encouraged his actions as he hoped the two would eventually figure things out. He himself was allowing LeStrade to court him and revelling in it. For the first time in his life My!roph was not only happy, he was giddy. LeStrade had a dark sense of humor, favoring the gory as he was a hunter who often dealt blood rather than tenderness. My!roph found his stories of strange deep-water creatures fascinating, and when LeStrade brought him an anglerfish to keep as a pet. My!roph had never travelled and certainly if he had he wouldn’t have gone into the deep ravines of their world, so to have a deep sea fish as a pet was fascinating to him and even drew Sh’lck into his cave to study his pet. My!roph kept it in a darker cupboard in his home and fed it fish, smiling proudly when another fish attached itself to it one day. Sherlock was shocked to learn that it was a _male,_ but unlike the males of their own species, this one was a parasite. They also had _two_ sexes, not simply two genders, which was apparently how a good portion of the world did things. Sh!lck found it was rather inconvenient to only have 50% of the species capable of carrying and wondered how they managed to sort out who was to mate with whom and what to do if one wasn’t attracted to a certain body type. Either way, My!roph’s fish was now a married fish and would likely reproduce once her season came on her.

Mating season was not far away and many of the men within their mere were concerned. They had left mates behind and now were facing a dilemma. Move on and find another mate? Return to their mate _just_ for the season and accept that they might be raising a child alone or have a child they’d never meet? Or spend the season alone and in agony as the urge to mate went from passing want to aching need. Sh’lck had spent every season alone his entire life, but since experiencing sex for the first time he was no longer expecting his time to be (agonizingly) tolerable. Sh’lck didn’t know if Jawn would spend their mating season with him and had no idea how to ask him. Since he’d attempted to prevent pregnancy in the past it was possible that he’d refuse Sh’lck despite his regular indulgence with him. Unfortunately, they had little time to discuss it and most of this was taken up with survival. When Sh’lck saw Jawn it was usually between hunting and gathering sessions while Sh’lck was either elbow deep in blood or faeces depending on which profession he was working through. After Sh’lck got a chance to rub himself through the sand a bit he might have the time to sneak into the cave Jawn now occupied alone and have absolutely _filthy_ sex with him. That followed by another round of sandbathing was about all he could manage before sleep took him each night. They rarely spoke and Sh’lck found he was missing Jawn’s charming chatter.

“So this is _love_ ,” Sh’lck groused to Molly, “I’m not just infatuated anymore, I actually want to spend _time_ with him. So-called ‘octopus love’ is far easier to handle.”

“I don’t…” Mollusk’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t think that’s what it’s called.”

“No?” Sh’lck frowned, “Octopuses reproduce by handing off a limb to a partner-“

“Yeah, so octopus generally means… something else you do alone, Sh’lck.”

“Oh. Oh! Goodness, this explains his embarrassment over getting me an octopus. Well, what _is_ that infernal saying about brief, childish, romantic infatuation?”

“Minnow, Sh’lck,” Molly laughed, “Because they just shoot out eggs and sperm in the water and let them mate themselves.”

“Ah, yes, them,” Sh’lck grumbled, “Either way, my urges are no longer so simplistic.”

“What will you do?” She asked.

“Well, obviously I’d like to breed with him.”

“But not mate with him,” She pointed out.

“Mm, he will only find me offensive in time.”

“He hasn’t yet,” She pointed out, “Sh’lck… you know… you know how I feel about you.”

“Yes, the scent of arousal is overpowering.”

“So, then you know that it’s possible to love and tolerate you.”

Sh’lck considered her words, “You really think I should give him a chance?”

“Or me,” Molly suggested weakly, “But I want you happy, so him? Please?”

Sh’lck watched Mollusk silently for a moment. They were both floating in his cave where he’d managed to secure a net via some rocks he’d coaxed a few muscular defenders into dragging into his home in payment for treatment for their sick splashes.

“You are a good friend, Molly,” Sh’lck told her softly.

Molly smiled at him fondly, her long grey dolphin tail flitting about as she circled his cave lazily during their ‘dish’ session, as she was so fond to call Sh’lck’s bitching.

“I’m just me,” Mollusk shrugged.

“I will…” Sh’lck sighed heavily, “I will _try_ to treat you better.”

Molly gave him a surprised and amused glance, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, “Oh, will you?”

“I’ve been trying to, hasn’t it shown?”

“Well, you haven’t experimented on me lately…”

“I decided I’d inform you first from now on and limit experiments which require a control group to Vulgaris.”

“You do know Jawn loves him, don’t you?” Molly worried.

“So what do I do now?” Sh’lck mused, “I’ve been pushing him away for months now.”

“You could always wait till after the season and see if you conceive? Then you could just announce that you need help with the splash!”

Sh’lck considered her words, “That was my original plan.”

“Yes, but with a bit more self awareness, I’d hope?”

“It’s so much easier to analyse disease than _feelings_ ,” Sh’lck replied in disgust.

“I’m sure it is,” Molly tsked, “Or perhaps you could just tell him? Accept his courtship?”

“Hm,” Sh’lck mused, “What if he refuses me? I led him on, tried to get him to kill me, and soundly rejected him.”

“And then used him for sex until he became a desponded shell of himself,” Molly continued.

“Despondent?” Sh’lck chuckled.

“You haven’t noticed?” Molly asked, halting her swim with a hand on a stone, “Sh’lck, he’s really not well!”

“You’re not joking,” Sh’lck stilled as well and focused on her tense expression.

“You don’t know?” She asked.

“Know what?”

“Three nights ago he didn’t report in. LeStrade went to his old cave to check on him to find that Jawn had…”

“Had what?” Sh’lck asked with narrowed eyes, “I saw him yesterday, he’s fine.”

“You didn’t see his wound?”

“His _treated_ wound, yes,” Sh’lck nodded, “I verified it was healing well and scolded him for going to Will-I-Am instead of me.”

“He didn’t go to you because LeStrade didn’t _take_ him to you. At the time he was bleeding out and LeStrade blames you for his sadness.”

“It was a bad wound, but…” Sh’lck started, but then paused, “It wasn’t a shark bite.”

“No,” She shook her head miserably.

Sh’lck burst from his cave, moving at top speed with his dark tail making a ruckus behind him with the force of his powerful movements. He shoved his way through Jawn’s cave entrance without announcing himself and cast about anxiously. Jawn appeared from behind a coral net door and frowned at Sh’lck.

“Well, hello,” Jawn stated, “Don’t get the impression this is a tail call.”

“Your wound. Let me see it,” Sh’lck demanded.

Jawn shifted and extended his tail with a heavy sigh. He held himself steady on a rock as Sh’lck grabbed and examined him.

“I can explain,” Jawn insisted softly.

“Do so,” Sh’lck replied.

“I was… wasn’t… thinking straight. I was just… thinking of how little I meant to you while still…”

“Not, that,” Sh’lck flicked his fingers dismissively, “How did you imitate a shark bite so well? You had me fooled. Doubtless I would have realized it wasn’t from a shark if I had stitched it up myself, but you were _very_ convin…”

Sh’lck drifted off, noting the scent of absolute misery in the water around him. Whenever he saw Jawn there would be a scent of sadness, but it was quickly overpowered by joy and lust. Now Sh’lck realized how temporary that scent must have been, appearing only with Sh’lck and leaving one he was gone.

“I’ve hunted sharks,” Jawn explained lamely, “I know their abilities and bite marks.”

“I am… sorry,” Sh’lck spoke softly.

“For what?” Jawn asked.

“That you felt so much sadness you thought ending your life a solution,” Sh’lck replied, moving up his body to wrap his arms around Jawn’s shoulders.

“Felt?” Jawn laughed bitterly, “What point is there, Sh’lck?”

“I won’t run anymore,” Sh’lck promised, sliding a finger along Jawn’s bottom lip, “I’ll be yours for… for as long as you want me.”

Jawn’s arms wrapped around Sh’lck and he pulled him in for a long, slow kiss before pulling away from his hungry lips, “Sh’lck I still love you, despite what you’ve put me through, but I don’t think that will fix things.”

“I’m sorry?” Sh’lck tried.

Jawn chuckled and some of the sadness in the room dissipated with the tide, “As rare and precious as your apologies are… neither will that.”

“What _will_ , then?” Sh’lck asked irritably.

“This has… damn it, why are _words_ difficult?”

Sh’lck tucked his head against Jawn’s chest, “I watched you for decades, Jawn. I fought bullies, you, and _myself_ to have you. I won’t lose you to yourself.”

“You recall how you felt before you were going to take me on?” Jawn asked.

“Like the world would be better without me,” Sh’lck replied softly.

“And the fact you’ve saved lives didn’t matter, did it?”

“No,” Sh’lck replied.

“Well, it’s like… I’m blind and deaf. Nothing I’ve done has mattered. Our mere was destroyed and I couldn’t gather it back up again. The oil killed so many and I couldn’t hunt that down. I couldn’t even defend my heart against you. I fought to make myself something others said I could never be but… I ran out of… everything.”

Jawn’s words ran dry and Sh’lck shivered at the loss and emptiness in his voice. He clutched his mate tighter and nuzzled along his chest and neck.

“How do I heal this?”

Jawn didn’t answer and Sh’lck felt that same sense of helplessness wash over him from before, but this time he had Jawn to hold on to. He would have to hope that having Sh’lck to hold on to would keep him healthy.

“I will talk to Will-I-Am,” Sh’lck assured him, “And if he doesn’t know how to treat your mind than I will seek out other meres and find-“

“Sh’lck, that’s not allowed!”

“I will find _someone_ who knows how to treat a mind!” Sh’lck swore viciously, fingers digging into Jawn’s shoulder, “And in the mean time… we can take care of each other.”

Jawn’s hand moved to stroke through Sh’lck’s hair, “I’d like that, my beautiful basslet.”

Sh’lck snorted, his cheeks heating up as he lifted his head to press their lips together, “Silly name.”

“Sillier than Sh’lck?”

“Oi, pink tail!” Sh’lck taunted back.

Jawn smiled and laughed, tickling Sh’lck’s ribs, and the longer male gave him a teasing swat with his dark tail. For a time they laughed and pushed, teasing each other and flirting until they fell to making love in the cavern they would call their own. The laughter never reached Jawn’s eyes, but hope... hope was there.

 

A/N

I love mermaids. They’re half fish, half human. They live in a mythological world where magic can fix things that medicine can’t.

In January of 2017 I was finally able to transition. I spent 19 years severely depressed and suicidal. Doctors, family members, strangers on the internet, so many people told me that what I am is wrong, fake, a fad, or perverted. It took a six-hour surgery to free me from 19 years of self-hatred and crippling mental illness.

Don’t let anyone, not even yourself, stop you from finding hope and happiness in your life no matter how mythological you think your future might be.


End file.
